Shadow
by naruhina-namikaze
Summary: The Fourth Ninja War has taken its toll on Naruto. What remains is but a shadow of his former self. Can the void within be filled by his new found career in ANBU...or will something else be his salvation? Naruhina. Strong / Dark Naruto.
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. Enough said.

Author Note:

Hey guy's, Naruhina-Namikaze here. I know it's been a couple of weeks since I last updated my other story 'A Hero's Return', but I feel I need a break from it. I wrote a couple of scenes for it over the past couple of days, but I'm a bit off my game. I've been having a pretty rough week or so, so I just can't get into the flow of writing which is making me stress a bit...well a lot...but yeah.

Don't worry though; I'm not abandoning it or anything. It might just take me a week or so to get the motivation to finish my next chapter.

However, I do have a few ideas floating around between my ears that I want to use for later stories. So, I was kind of hoping that if I begin a new story it might help me get back into the groove of things.

So without further delay I present to you my new story.

Story title: Shadow

***Prologue *** 

Uzumaki Naruto, the Hero of Konoha, was left a broken man after the death of Uchiha Sasuke by his own hands, during one of the opening battles of the Fourth Great Ninja War. He had no choice in the matter. At the end of the day, it was kill or be killed. Or in Naruto's case, kill or be captured.

But try telling that to Haruno Sakura. The day he returned from the battlefield with his best friend, dead in his arms, was the last time that his ultimate crush ever spoke to him. He could have just left him to rot with all the other enemy shinobi that had fallen on that fateful day in the blistering desert of Suna, but he brought him back so that he could find his resting place with the rest of his cursed clan.

At the age of just eighteen, Naruto had become a mere shadow of his former self. No longer was he the hyperactive teen that wore such blindingly loud clothes, with his over abundance of 'youthfulness' as Gai-sensei would put it. He had seen too much death, he had felt too much pain, he had become a ruthless killer.

The war had raged on for two long years, and nothing had changed. Every battle ended the same way, with death. The financial burden was not an issue, but the strain on man power for the allies was becoming too great. Uchiha Madara's power base arose around two factors. First, the bulk of his army were specialised clones, and he had the capability to replenish his withering ranks whenever he needed. Second, his generals were original Akatsuki members, who were in effect immortal. Although they were created through Kabuto's Edo Tensei, they achieved a much greater sense of autonomy than those that were summoned through the same means by Orochimaru.

One thing was clear from all of this. The allies could win every battle, but ultimately, they were slowly losing the war.

Tsunade had made a number of changes to village protocol, since the war had begun. With the village on a constant state of high alert, curfews were put in place on the general population. Only shinobi were given the freedom to move freely throughout the village after 11pm. Even with the increasing number of deaths to the allied forces, the 'rookie' teams had mostly remained unscathed, with a few exceptions...

Team Kurenai now consisted of; Hyuga Hinata, Aburame Shino, and Sai. Inuzuka Kiba perished at the hands of Deidara, around eighteen months into the war. Sai was deemed a fitting replacement as he was a tracking specialist. Hinata acted as the team's field medic, having been taught a substantial amount of medical Jutsu's by Tsunade.

Team Asuma gained a new leader, Yamato-taichou. The ANBU captain remained part of the 'normal' shinobi system after he spent a large stint as Kakashi's replacement. Even though Shikamaru had achieved the rank of Jounin, he was still too lazy to take the brunt of the pressure of being a leader. The Ino-Shika-Cho outfit was proven to be an effective cell over two generations, so it remained the same.

Team Gai also remained the same. They had been the 'lucky' group that had no reason for change. Lee and Tenten were still considered to be at Chuunin level, but their skills had far since surpassed that of their previous selves before the war begun.

Team Kakashi was the most heavily affected by the changes. With Sakura refusing to talk to Naruto, it made team-work almost impossible. Sai wasn't much help in the matter either, and he was quickly drafted into the open position on team Kurenai. Sakura couldn't take the sight of Naruto any longer and requested to become the full time chief medical shinobi at the hospital. After a lot of thought Tsunade finally gave in to the pink haired Kunoichi's wishes, providing that she became her personal aide, following the death of Shizune. Kakashi was given his previous title as the head of ANBU, meaning that in effect he was Konoha's acting general, and the Hokage's 'right-hand man'.

This left Naruto in a position of autonomy over his actions. With his power he could stand alone against almost any foe that Madara could place against him. With all that had happened he didn't feel like he could be a part of a team any longer, and more often than not in battles he acted alone. His so called 'friends' seemed to take pity on him more than anything. But, what else could they do? He had enough sorrow to last ten lifetimes, packed into eighteen painful years.

Between the fight against Pain, and his eighteenth birthday, the rookie Sage of Konoha had killed over three hundred shinobi. Of course, a large percentage of those were Madara's 'clones', yet they still bled out all the same to a _real _person. So much death on one person's hands can really do psychological damage, especially if they were emotionally unstable in the first place, having to share their body with a demon. Luckily for Naruto, he had complete control over the Kyubi, and could no longer become unstuck under his influence.

"What a birthday..." he sighed as he sat in his darkened room, slowly swigging down a bottle of Sake. All he had done for the past three hours was sit there, reminiscing on how shit his life was. He contemplated everything that had happened since he had been dubbed 'The Hero of Konoha'. It was a little more than two years ago, but it seemed like an eternity.

His best friends blood on his hands, how Sakura had ignored him for almost two years, how he had driven away anyone else who had cared for him. He even mourned momentarily over Kiba. He hated him, but he felt for Hinata more than anything.

The idiotically naive boy he used to be completely shunned her after she _saved _him from certain death, without even signifying to her that he registered the fact that she loved him. He sat their thinking about the pitiful behaviour he showed towards her, just in the hope that Sakura would finally give him that chance. It broke Hinata's heart, but he was too stupid to even realise. But there was good 'ol Kiba, there to pick up the pieces. And pick them up he did. Their relationship bloomed, until that fateful day came. Hinata's heart was broken again.

He wished he could make it up to her, but he knew that she would never accept him again. And it wasn't just Hinata that Naruto had been cold with. He had shut himself off from almost everyone, save for Tsunade, and that was only because he needed to talk to her concerning missions. He saw his 'friends' around, but it was usually very awkward. He had given up trying to get Sakura to talk to him, and he gave her the same silent treatment that she gave him. That didn't sit especially with Lee, and therefore with Tenten and Gai. Neji never seemed to have forgiven him for the way he reacted to Hinata. It was understandable really, considering how close the two had gotten over recent years. Shino was as cold as he was with everyone, and he saw very little of Team Yamato, as they were often stationed in Suna.

The reason for such a depressing train of thought was entirely selfish more than anything. He had given himself an ultimatum, that by his birthday, he would change his life. He had gotten to the stage where he would rather sit in the shadows, than stand at the forefront, only to be looked down upon, or pitied by those he used to call friends. He had reached his decision. Now all he had to do was speak to Tsunade.

*Knock**knock*

"God damnit," he yelled as the knock startled him, causing him to spill his Sake all over his mesh undershirt, and his combat trousers. "Alright I'm coming." The slightly annoyed blonde grabbed some tissues from the table and began to dab himself down, trying to soak up some of the alcohol before he opened the door.

It grew silent outside after the initial knocks. _'Maybe it was a prank' _he thought to himself, until he realised that it was past curfew. Only a ninja or a very suicidal citizen could be on the other side. As he walked, the affects of the alcohol were beginning to take its toll. Only when he opened the door, allowing some light into the room, could you see the six empty bottles of Sake lined up on the floor. Only then could you understand why he needed to prop himself up against the doorframe.

"Hello?" The whiskered teen slowly opened his piercing blue eyes to find there was no one there. Only after he looked around the outside of his apartment did he notice the parcel propped up against the wall.

He was oddly puzzled by the small box, as he hadn't seen it for a couple of years. Every birthday since he was about seven, a parcel would arrive at his house, in exactly the same way, with exactly the same wrapping paper. However, he was baffled this year as he hadn't received a present for his sixteenth or seventeenth birthdays. He truly wasn't expecting it. It brought a slight smile to his lips as he looked down at it, before picking it up and giving one sly look down the corridor, before shutting his door again.

It had always been the best part of his birthday, considering what else the day signified in Konoha. This anonymous person, whoever they were, was the only person who ever bought him birthday presents. He neatly untied the bow, and carefully unwrapped the present, before being presented with a small brown box with a note on the top of it.

_To Naruto-kun,_

_Happy Birthday_

_Love..._

The note didn't surprise him, because that's what they always said. He just couldn't understand why they sent him one this year, and not in the previous years. As he opened the lid, the moonlight shining through the tiny gap in between the curtains reflected on the object inside. It was a Konoha Hitai-ite, more precisely; it was _his _Hitai-ite. He had thought he'd lost it in battle weeks ago. He pulled it out and saw that the red felt that it rested on had been replaced with some blue cloth. It looked significantly better than how it used to be. A lot of the wear and tear had been smoothed out of it. As he undid the knot in the material, a note fell out from behind the metal. _'10 free bowls of Ramen at Ichiraku's, valid for one year'._

All he could do was smile as he placed the items on the table, and tidied up before heading on to bed. After all the thinking and drinking he had done on his day off, he finally had something to smile about. Unfortunately it still wasn't enough; he had made up his mind. Tomorrow, he would be asking Tsunade to join ANBU.

That was the answer to all his questions and uncertainties about how his life had become. He knew that such reasons were why Kakashi had joined the corp. and he turned out perfectly fine...right? All he knew was that there was only so much longer that he could stand and watch as one by one, his friends began to succumb to the cruel fate of the ninja world. Although only Kiba had died from their age group, many of the older Chuunin and Jounin had perished.

It felt weird to him that tonight, was the first time in about six months that he had actually smiled. The last time was when he got Gaara drunk. Now that was funny. How could it be that one small present could make him feel an emotion he thought he had completely forgotten? Maybe he wasn't in the shadows on his own?

However, there was one thing he did know. The only time he felt anything, was when he had blood on his hands. Tsunade had begun to pull him off the front lines as he was beginning to be targeted more and more. Madara had begun to send out two or three Akatsuki members into battles that they knew Naruto would be a part of. With his ability to control nature chakra, whilst also having complete control over the Kyubi, Naruto was almost unstoppable in battle, but it also made things more dangerous for the rest of the forces. Many more died in battles he was involved in. And he knew it was not just him. Killer Bee was yet to be captured, and his forces suffered the same fate as Konoha's.

Maybe Tsunade was wrong in forcing the other Kages to utilise the Jinchuriki's power, yet it is clear that without them, the ninja world would have been destroyed by now.

All Naruto could think about as he tidied up, was how to approach such a request. There was a good chance that she would reject it completely. But if he were to become an ANBU operative, he could work outside the parameters of the main forces, without endangering them any further. It really was a good job he had been drinking; otherwise he wouldn't be able to cope with such a rush of thoughts.

Meanwhile...

On the opposite roof to Naruto's apartment complex, a figure watched on from the shadows, their lavender-white eyes being the only feature that an onlooker could distinguish, staring straight into his apartment. Their view was only in negative, but they had a perfect view of the hapless teen opening the present. They could see the miniscule incline of the corners of his lips as he looked down at his present.

"Happy birthday, Naruto-kun," with that whisper, the figure disappeared into thin air as if they were just a Genjutsu, leaving Naruto to rest his drunken head without prying eyes.

Author Note:

It's not great, and it's not that long, but as I said in my initial note, I'm having trouble getting in the groove of writing again.

Anyways, hope anyone that reads this enjoys it, and if you have time check out A Hero's Return.

Reviews are always welcome, and I reply to all reviews good or bad.


	2. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** I may say a lot of shit about Kishimoto, but chapter 515 was probably the first chapter I've had to re-read since the Pain fight. Still, if I owned Naruto, I wouldn't be doing an entire arc of needless flashbacks.

**Author Note:** Apologies for the lack of follow up to this story, but I have been pretty busy. Hopefully this chapter will make up for it.

* * *

Chapter 1 - Initiation

Moonlight flashed across the scorched earth of the recently blazed forest on the outskirts of Otokagure. Every so often the rays of light would catch onto the metallic shard tied around a figures upper arm as they leapt silently through the bare trees. As the figure raced towards its target, it suddenly grounded to a halt as it felt the presence of multiple chakra signatures closing in on the area. The multitude of signatures grew closer with each passing second as the figure leapt into a large crater that had been created following an assault a few weeks before, masking their body within the earth as they suppressed their chakra output.

Three cells of Oto Nins appeared from the north, west, and east. From the chakra output of the group the figure could sense at least half of the twelve were Jounin class, and the rest were all mid-to-high levelled Chuunin. A heavily fortified border patrol could only mean one thing.

'_It seems the intel was correct. This is definitely the place.' _The mound of earth thought to itself as it lay in wait for the group to disperse back onto their patrol routes. It was clear that the enemy shinobi hadn't picked up the figures chakra, because they were still alive. In the current climate, any foreign presence was dealt with before any questions were asked.

After what seemed like an age, two of the groups scattered into the mass of singed tree's in opposite directions, leaving one solitary group to mull over the position they were inspecting. The group stood in a standard formation, with a sensory Nin placed in the centre of the formation, searching tirelessly over the landscape for anything that was out of place. Unfortunately for him, his skills were far below that of a Hyuga, and completely missed the presence of the figure that was mere feet away from the patrol.

The group eased up as the sensor Jounin signalled the all clear, loosening up the formation as they began to converse openly. That was what the figure had been waiting for.

Three members of the patrol were dead before their limp bodies had even hit the floor. The severed head of the sensor Nin fell at the feet of the sole remaining Chuunin in the group as the other Chuunin, and Jounin, landed face first into the earth, each with a kunai embedded into the base of their skulls. The terrified youngster had no time to react before he could feel something cold pressing against his neck. The figure was merciless, slitting the young man's throat before he had time to raise his defences. The last thing the boy saw in his shortened life was a pair of orange pupils glaring back at him from behind the holes in the figures mask. He was not the first person to see such a sight upon their death, nor would he be the last.

The figure disappeared into thin air before the arterial spray could smother their porcelain mask. In mere seconds, this person had managed to decimate an entire patrol, with precision accuracy, without even making a sound. The figure crouched on a tree top as they sheathed their glistening blade, looking down at the life they had just extinguished. As much as they wanted to admire their handy work, slaughtering a border patrol wasn't the mission. It didn't take long for the merciless shadow to clean up the mess, and get back onto the mission. The fortress was only a few miles away, and inside it was their objective.

It was almost impossible to spot the figure as they weaved through the shroud of darkness covering the entire forest. Every so often their outline became highlighted by the moonlight, shining through the naked trees. A Hitai-ite glistened in the moonlight around their upper right arm, but it was almost impossible to see the insignia scribed into the metal. Judging by the size of frame, it was a male figure, but it was impossible to know for certain as their face was hidden by a menacing mask. Unlike normal ANBU masks, it was black, like the rest of his attire. The only visible colour was a number of blood red flame-like whiskers on either side of the mask, where the cheeks would be. The only thing that was clear about the figure was their hair. Long blonde spikes moved freely in the wind as they darted from shadow to shadow, as they rapidly approached the outer wall of the small fortification.

'_It's crawling with clones. This is going to be more difficult than intel suggested.' _He silently cursed ANBU's intelligence division as he devised a new plan of action. After many confrontations with the white-Zetsu clones, the black masked ANBU was well aware of their ability to think and act in unison. If one of them saw something, they all saw something. They were easy to overpower one-on-one, but it was extremely difficult when there was a large number of them. After careful deliberation, he eventually came down to two options. He could take on an entire fortress single-handed or live up to his ANBU namesake that had been given to him by his sensei.

If it wasn't for the uniform, he would have no qualms about taking his first option. It wouldn't take him long to bring the whole fortress to ruin. Yet, he was ANBU now, a master of silent killing. His ice cold demeanour allowed him to execute his orders without remorse. A true killing machine if ever you saw one, and usually if you saw this one...it was the last thing you would ever see.

"This is Shadow. I'm in position." A hushed voice spoke over the radio.

"Roger. Primary objective, ascertain required documents. Loss of life acceptable. Wolf out." The reply from his leader was short and to the point, exactly how he liked his orders. Now all he had to do was breach a heavily defended structure, retrieve the objective, and escape for home completely undetected.

After circling the fort from a distance, he was able to decipher the safest entry point. Now all he had to do was figure out what was on the other side of the wall.

"Kuchiyose No Jutsu!" The man slammed his hand into the ground at a safe distance from the fort. After the smoke cleared, a miniscule toad cowered slightly in fear of its master.

"W-what c-can I d-do for y-you, S-Shadow-sama?" The toad asked hesitantly as it averted its gaze from the black masked ANBU.

"I need you to sneak into _that _fort to assess the tactical situation before I attack." The toad hopped around so that it was looking in the direction the man was pointing towards.

"H-hai, Shadow-sama," it croaked as it jumped into his open palm before he rushed off towards the less defended side of the wall. He was exceptional when it came down to his movement. None of the centuries noticed his approach as he glided over the surface, hugging the wall with his back as he set down his summon.

It managed to squeeze itself under the wooden gate, and avoid the spotlights fitted to the courtyard before taking a good look around the area, memorising the guard's routines. After ten minutes or so it reported back in Shadow. The toad hopped back into the man's hand as it sat in silence, waiting for its master to glean all the information he could from his meditative state. In his heightened state, he had the ability to read chakra to a point that he could see into someone's mind.

He could already tell that there was over seventy chakra systems within the perimeter of the fortress, and most of which were the Zetsu clones. Fortunately, it appeared that all of the clones were patrolling the perimeter and the courtyard, meaning that the thirty or so unique chakras would be inside the main building.

"Perfect..." the figure muttered under his breath as he dispelled his summon and adjusted his mask before channelling chakra to his feet in order to scale the wall. His timing was impeccable. As he reached the top of the wall, he evaded the sights of both centuries, and managed to land safely in the courtyard, narrowly avoiding a three clone patrol by ducking behind some crates. As he monitored their patrol patterns with his own eyes, he realised that a single wrong move here could result in mission failure...or worse.

It didn't take him long to calculate the blind spot in their patrol, weaving quickly yet silently through each patrol, avoiding the spotlights by sticking to the shadows. His ability to manipulate nature chakra, as well as some...other...specialised bodily changes allowed for him to have perfect balance and speed. No more was he plagued by clumsiness and uncoordinated movements.

Shadow came to the most difficult part of this infiltration...entering the central building. Guards were positioned at both entrances and there were two lookouts on the roof, making it difficult to enter through conventional means. He used a chakra enhanced jump to scale half way up the wall before he began to run up it. The seventh floor was his target. A solitary open window invited him with open arms, yet he knew that two shinobi inhabited the room. He ghosted up to the window, catching the first shinobi unawares, driving two kunai into his chest as he puffed away on a cigarette. Before the other could react he found himself resting his chin helplessly on the masked man's shoulder, as his blade shredded through his abdomen.

As he gently laid the body on the ground, as to minimise the noise, the light from the room presented Shadow in all his glory. His mask looked even more menacing in the light. The mixture of the black and red, made his peculiar orangey-yellow eyes stand out even more. His long golden hair moved slightly as the wind wisped around the room through the open window. He wore a sleeveless black undershirt, with dark gray armour over the top. After his last kill, blood was smeared all over the lower half of the chest-plate. The black undershirt was matched by black trousers that were tied down to his ankle-high black battle sandals with white tape. He sported a conventional ANBU tattoo on his left shoulder and a Konoha Hitai-ite on his right with jutted guards on both forearms, as well as matching shin guards. As he withdrew his katana from his latest victim, he presented a number of small tattoos on his underarms.

"Infiltration complete," Shadow's deep yet hushed voice called out as he pressed the button on the headset underneath his mask.

"Understood. Intel suggests documents situated on tenth floor. Heed caution from here on out."

"Hai," Shadow's response was followed by static as he moved towards the door. He could sense another three signatures on this floor, one of which was patrolling as the other two guarded the stairwell. He waited for the opportune moment where they were all together before he made his move.

"Finally. I thought you would never get off your break. I'm dying for a smoke. Hey, where's Kato?" a scrawny looking guy with long dark hair, and a trench coat jeered as he walked towards his teammate.

"He's still inside having another smoke. He will join me in a moment." He replied as he walked casually towards his next victims. A benefit of becoming an ANBU was being able to access higher levelled henge's and basic jutsu's, which were near enough impossible to read. The two who were guarding the stairwell began to walk casually towards the room Shadow had just exited from, with the hall century walking closely behind. By the time they got within ten feet of their 'teammate', it was already over.

"Kanashibari no Jutsu!" The trio were instantly paralysed, unable to even move their mouths enough to scream as he dropped his cloak, presenting them with the last image they would ever see, his sinister black mask and piercing yellow eyes. His katana appeared to have a dull blue glow surrounding it as he swung it in their direction. He was stood too far away from them for the blade to make contact, yet seconds later the three collapsed to the floor, each with blood oozing from a slash across their chests. After shifting his mask slightly, he stepped over the bloodied mess presented before him, and carried on towards the stairwell.

He could sense chakra signatures on every floor of the building. There only appeared to be around thirty people in the entire building, seventeen of which were between his current position and his objective. If he did this correctly he could get away with only having to fight a few, rather than an entire fortress. With his blade at the ready, he crept up to the eighth floor, peering around the central reservation to see another two defending the staircase. That left three on this floor that were unaccounted for in his poor field of vision. He ghosted past them when they withdrew their attention from the staircase for the briefest of moments, moving straight up to the ninth floor. The same issue presented itself, and he used the same tactic to reach the tenth floor. Even if he was seen as he moved, it would only appear to someone as a blur considering his ridiculous level of speed which he held in his arsenal. If you blinked at the wrong moment you would easily miss him.

Seven people were on the tenth floor, and something told him that they wouldn't be as easy to defeat as the others he had come across. He was lucky that he had been able to catch them off guard, but when he peered around the reservation he could see two well-seasoned shinobi stood with stern-faces, concentrating completely on their objective. He could only assume that the others would be the same.

'_I think it's time to test this new jutsu.' _He mused as he pulled out a specialised shuriken from his pouch. It appeared different to a normal shuriken, with five points instead of the normal four, with a small seal placed on the side. He made his move.

The force with which he swung his blade at the two guards caused one of them to fly back into the corridor as he attempted to block the katana. His female counterpart quickly retreated to where he landed as three others joined the ranks from behind. The remaining two came out of the room at the far end, holding large blades at the ready. As the man got back to his feet, he and his counterpart began to rapidly go through a number of seals, but they couldn't beat Shadow for speed in that department.

"Shuriken Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" hundreds of the specialised shuriken appeared in mid-air and shot down the corridor towards the seven shinobi. It was impossible to evade all of them, resulting in a few impacts but nothing too lethal.

"You're gunna have to do better than that, scum." The man at the head of the group jeered as he held an oversized cleaver in front of him. His female counterpart had taken a shuriken to the shoulder, and two of the three behind him had been nicked. The two furthest back had evaded all of the projectiles, but that was to be expected. The whole corridor was littered with little black metallic shards. If it wasn't for the mask, they would have been able to see the sickening smile creep onto his face as he shot open his glowing eyes, before rapidly going through a number of hand-seals for his follow up jutsu.

"Hiraishin no Jutsu!" In a blink of an eye, the seven shinobi were left for dead on the floor as the orange flash of light subsided. The man casually looked back over his shoulder as he opened the door on the opposite side of the corridor to where he had been stood not two seconds ago. "Hm, it still needs some work." He sighed as he turned back to the opening door.

It only took a few moments to find the required documents, which he sealed into one of his many tattoos on his underarm, before turning back to the corridor. He looked down at the death and destruction as he walked. He really did enjoy the feeling of blood on his hands. He headed to the stairway, taking one glancing look downstairs before heading up towards the top flight. Now the difficult part was out of the way, he could have a little fun.

A bloodied figure hurled himself through the double doors that opened out onto the flat roof, where two centuries quickly turned in fear of attack. They hurried over to their bloodied comrade, attempting to aid assistance until they found that their bodies were unresponsive. They looked down as the man donning an Oto Hitai-ite began to stand up and pulled a kunai from his pouch, slitting the pair's throats as he remained completely silent.

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" hundreds of Oto Nin rained down into the courtyard, confusing the Zetsu clones as they openly attacked. Many of the shinobi inside the building began to assist in the battle. Through all the confusion, the lone figure easily escaped over the wall and into the tree line. As he reached a safe distance, he activated his final jutsu.

"Bunshin Daibakuha!" as his muted voice whispered the jutsu, the night sky flashed red for a second, before darkness returned. A low grumble increased in severity until a shockwave of sound and wind shot past the fleeing ANBU. In an instant, the fortress was no more, as was everyone within the blast radius of the exploding Kage Bunshin's.

"Primary and secondary objectives complete, request further instructions." The emotionless Shadow asked his commander.

"Excellent. Mission accomplished, return home Shadow. Wolf out." An almost proud sounding voice replied before the transmission ended. Shadow shot off towards the border at some speed. He couldn't wait to get back to his home so he could get some well deserved Sake.

* * *

Konoha had become a different place since the war had begun. The liveliness and happy atmosphere had all but been eradicated from the streets. Its exuberance had been replaced by a cold and uninviting ambience. It had become too much for some, resulting in many migrating south, away from the threat of war. Many did persevere with the current war time climate, and remained loyal to the Hokage and to the village. A majority of the population were shinobi, or village guards who would be called upon only as a last resort. Luckily, the Akatsuki forces hadn't reached the walls of Konoha for six months.

Patrols were increased and guard duties were no longer as lax as they used to be. That was due to the change of personnel who took the regular duty. Kotetsu died around a year back, and Izumo was dispatched into a frontline attack squadron. Their replacements were two hot headed rookies fresh out of the academy. They were far below the skill of the previous generation, but what they lacked in ability they made up for with guts. So much so that they squared up to anyone who entered the village, regardless of rank or ability. In their inexperienced state, they had taken Tsunade's orders to be 'thorough' a little over the top.

"Halt! What purpose do you have here?" the shorter boy with light blue hair almost screamed at a figure that rained down on their position from the outskirts of the forest under the nights sky.

Upon hearing the command, the figure slowed down to walking pace as he allowed the duo to see his 'face' as he stepped into the light. He didn't speak; he just waited for their tense looking faces to pale as they saw his black mask. The instant they saw the black mask with flamed whiskers, they cowered slightly in fear. Rumours had started circulating amongst the younger shinobi a couple of weeks back about an ANBU member that wore a black mask, and he was not to be toyed with under any circumstances.

"M-my a-apo-logies ANBU-s-sama." The taller red-head eeked out as he handed him the sign-in sheet. The boy retrieved the clipboard from the ground where the ANBU had shunshined away into the night sky. All that it read was 'Shadow'.

"Shit, I thought he was gunna kill us." The red-head let out a sigh of relief as his fellow guard laughed nervously.

"I might just kill you yet if you're not careful." The young shinobi turned in unison as the ANBU member crouched on the roof of the checkpoint, staring them down. They hadn't even registered his presence. They stared helplessly in silence until in an instant he stood between the two of them. "They sure don't train them how they used to. A shinobi shouldn't show fear. Never forget that, because that may save your lives one day."

The pair were far too shaken up to move, and the killer intent the ANBU was unleashing was crippling. Yet, they somehow seemed to nod their heads slightly in acknowledgement as he turned away from them, walking off into the deserted market district as curfew was already in place. As he eventually disappeared down one of the many streets, the pair turned silently to each other and headed back to their stand where they took refuge from a terrifying experience.

Shadow walked silently through the streets of Konoha, not even his footsteps could be heard on the cobbles. Every so often he would stumble across another shinobi walking around, more often than not leaving a bar for home. He felt jealous that they had already had their drinks for the evening, when he had to report back to the Hokage immediately to hand in the documents he had acquired the night before. Hopefully the briefing wouldn't take long...

As he entered the Hokage tower, he was greeted by a sole Chuunin guard at the foot of the stairs, as well as the receptionist on the late shift.

"Greetings ANBU-san, Hokage-sama has been waiting for you. Please, go straight in." The woman smiled as she spoke, yet he could tell that there was a distinct tinge of fear in her voice. He acknowledged her words with a slight nod before turning to the guarded stairwell. The Chuunin gave a slight smile as the moved out of the way of the quickly growing living legend that was Shadow. Although no one knew his identity, his fearsome mask was becoming in-famous throughout the allied forces.

As he walked down the corridor on the top floor, he was greeted by two ANBU guards, one with a boar mask, and the other with a dog mask. They both nodded to their newest member of the fold as he walked by them, opening the double doors into the Hokage's office.

"You're late. Care to explain yourself?" The busty blonde behind her desk huffed as she placed her saucer of Sake to her lips.

"He was busy instilling fear into the gate guards, right Shadow?" The tall silver haired man donning a wolf mask chuckled as the blonde haired man turned back from closing the doors behind him.

"You should really sort out the academy, Tsunade. Those brats really aren't good enough to be guarding the main gates." It was difficult to tell if he was joking with the lack of emotion in his voice. He nipped his finger and smeared the blood over one of the tattoos, withdrawing a scroll from the smoke. "Here are the documents you requested."

"You may be the in-famous 'Shadow' now, but you weren't a great deal better when you were that age, right Kakashi?" She turned to her right hand man as she heard him let out a sly laugh before he walked out to greet his subordinate and take the scrolls from him.

"I wasn't _that _bad when I was that age, was I?" The first sign of humanity radiated from the dark figure as he scratched the back of his head in embarrassment.

"You were a quick learner Naruto. You just didn't get the right training in the academy." Kakashi laughed as he patted his young student. It had been almost two months since he had requested to join ANBU, and in that time Kakashi had taken him in under his wing and trained him personally. He felt a great deal of responsibility for all that had happened to him since the war had started, and found that training him was a good way to make up for it.

"Congratulations Shadow, you completed your first S-rank mission under ANBU. After some discussion with Wolf, we have decided that you are ready to become a fully fledged member of ANBU." Tsunade spoke with great pride, but her words were met with confusion from her new assassination specialist.

"I'm sorry, what? You mean for the past two months, I have only been a trainee?"

"Indeed. That is how it works in ANBU. You are required to fulfil a number of A-rank missions, and one S-rank mission before you can be placed into the full roster. That mission was your initiation, and you passed with flying colours." Kakashi congratulated him in his own way as he returned to Tsunade's side and handed her the documents. She skimmed over them briefly before simply throwing them in the bin and continued to drink her Sake.

"Hey, what are you doing? I just risked my life for those documents." A slightly angry growl came from underneath the mask as Tsunade smirked from behind her saucer.

"Baka! The documents were just a ruse. We had no idea what they were holding in that fortress. The mission was a test of your ability to carry out orders and adapt to misinformation." She laughed slightly before continuing. "You displayed great skill in infiltration, and could think up an attack plan with ease, regardless of what obstacles you faced. You completed your primary mission objective without alerting the main force, and then carried out your second objective of destroying the fortress...after you acquired said documents."

Naruto stood their quietly as he mulled over everything she just said. It was in essence a field test. They had pitted him against an entire fortress, providing him with sketchy at best information, and gave him two extremely difficult tasks to complete. He felt a tad hard done by that they hadn't informed him of the mission purpose, but after careful thought, he decided it was the best course of action to make the mission as realistic as possible.

"Very well, when do I begin?" He replied as he turned to the window and looked down at his empty looking village.

"Take tomorrow off for recovery. Return to the Namikaze estate until you are called upon." Tsunade ordered as he nodded and headed back to the door. "Oh, and Naruto? Your mission pay has already been transferred into your account." He simply waved his hand behind him as he opened the double doors and left the room and headed towards the stairs.

Just as he was about to turn the corner towards the staircase, a familiar face moved into the space he was about to move into, almost knocking him off his feet.

"Gomen ANBU-san, I wasn't looking where I was..." before the pink haired banshee could finish apologizing, he disappeared into thin air right in front of her eyes, leaving her speechless. That was the first thing she had said to him in two years, and that was probably because she didn't know who she was talking to.

The day after his birthday had been an interesting one to say the least.

~~~Flashback~~~

Naruto awoke from his drunken state with a banging headache. The night before was extremely hazy, yet he remembered that he had made his decision. He dragged his hung-over body into the freezing cold shower in order to increase his alertness before heading back into his bedroom to get dressed in his black trousers and long-sleeved mesh undershirt, with a Chuunin combat vest over the top. As he headed towards the front door, he remembered his solitary birthday present, tying the Hitai-ite around his arm, whilst picking up the food coupon that rested on his table.

After using two of the ten free bowls of ramen from his coupon, he headed to the Hokage tower to tell Tsunade that he wished to join ANBU.

It didn't take long for him to reach the tower, and moved straight up stairs towards her room. As he turned onto the corridor, he ran into someone he really didn't want to. A flash of pink greeted his eye-line as he turned onto the corridor. There was no escape. They were mere inches from banging into each other until Naruto managed to side-step her and carry on down the corridor, not paying any attention to the glares she gave him as he headed to Tsunade's room.

Without knocking he just entered the room, only to be greeted by another painful sight. Team Kurenai were being prepped for their next mission by Tsunade. "Learn to knock you little brat," the Hokage jeered as Naruto smiled nervously before apologising and turning to exit before he was stopped by something he didn't expect.

"Ano, I-it's okay Naruto, we have f-finished our briefing." Hyuga Hinata's quiet little voice seemed to call him back into the room with ease as he turned back to the group. She didn't look at him directly, but he could see that she seemed confused. _'He's wearing his present.' _She thought to herself as the team walked on by him.

Sai nodded casually in his direction, but neither Kurenai nor Shino appeared to acknowledge him. Hinata gave him a slight stare, but quickly dropped her head as she realised he was looking back at her. Tsunade waited for them to leave the room before she began to speak.

"So, you here to plea to get your sorry ass moved back to the frontlines again?" She seemed a little indifferent to his gaze as he remained silent shortly.

"I have come to request that you allow me to join ANBU." The lack of emotion in his voice seemed to catch her out. He said it as if it was nothing. He was signing himself off to become an assassin, directly under her control, and he didn't seem to care.

"Before I give you my decision, can I tell you something?"

"Go ahead, but nothing you say will change my mind."

"You are the rightful heir to the Namikaze estate. Your father is Nami..."

"Yes, I know. I have known since I was sixteen. But I have kept it to myself for safety purposes. Did you think telling me about my heritage would deter me from this?" He remained emotionless as he addressed her.

"I-I...yes, yes I did Naruto. You are the shining beacon that this village needs to pull it through this war. A Namikaze at the helm would give this shinobi alliance the drive it needs to win this war." She was almost pleading him to reconsider, but she could see that his eyes were dead. That determined rash young boy had died and had been replaced by a heartless man, worthy of joining the ANBU ranks. He gave no reply, but stared at her through his dull blue eyes.

"Very well, Wolf he's all yours." She sighed as a silver haired ANBU shunshined into existence besides her.

"So Naruto, it has finally come down to this? I was wondering how long it would take you to follow down this path. Welcome to ANBU." The man held out a black mask with blood red flamed whiskers on either side, with painted white rings around the eye holes. "From now on, you will be known as Shadow, and you are under my direct command. Is that understood?"

"Hai," he replied as he deciphered who Wolf was. The voice was so familiar to him.

~~~End of Flashback~~~

After that near miss with his old teammate, Naruto definitely needed a drink, and it needed to be something strong. He walked into the bar of one Nara Shikaku, who moved into the business after he lost a leg in battle. He was head of the village guard, but he no longer had the physical capabilities to remain on active duty. During the day he worked as a tactical aid for Tsunade, and in the evenings he ran one of the most popular Shinobi bars within Konoha.

* * *

As Naruto walked into the bar, still wearing his ANBU attire but now had a white cloak over his combat suit, the background chit-chat dissipated. People began to stare openly as he walked through the tables towards the bar. It was the first time for some to see the fabled Shadow, but the regulars still couldn't help but stare when he entered his normal drinking hole.

"One bottle of the strongest Sake you've got, Shikaku-san." His monotone voice carried throughout the eerily silent bar as Shikaku disappeared underneath the bar.

"Here you go Shadow-san." The most uninterested shinobi in Konoha even took notice of this one ANBU. Never before had he seen one person become so famous in such a short amount of time. "I'll put it on your tab." He smiled slightly as he moved away to serve a kunoichi that stood at the other end of the room.

He moved towards his normal seat in the far corner. Many of the ANBU sat in this corner as it was the darkest. It allowed them to maintain their secrecy as they drank, considering it was near impossible to drink with your mask fixed to your face. The only time he ever wore his cloak was when he went for a drink. The hood was large enough that it placed his face in a veil of darkness when he wasn't wearing his pitch black mask. Unfortunately, someone was already sat in his booth.

"You're in my...seat." his ice cold demeanour seemed to dissipate as the girl that sat in his place turned up to look at him. Piercing lavender eyes met the black abyss that lingered where a person's face should be.

"I didn't realise you had your own seat. I guess you will have to wait until I am finished." The sweet little voice from the girl seemed to carry a great deal of sarcasm and a hint of anger towards the figure as they tried to move her from the booth she had occupied for the past thirty minutes.

"And what is a head family Hyuga doing in a grotty place like this?" The man's voice seemed different as he spoke to her. He wanted to maintain his facade, and he knew that this was his perfect opportunity to speak to her without her knowing it was _him_. Before she could protest, he sat down opposite her, plonking his bottle down on the table as she simply gazed at him for a while.

"Don't treat me like some spoilt kid just because of my lineage. I have a right to be in here as much as anyone else. Who are you to judge me?" The anger seemed to be flowing from her as she took another swig of her drink. The anger seemed to disappear as she saw the man remove his mask.

The abyss remained under his hood, yet the mask he placed on the table scared her a little. She was face-to-face with the most feared person in Konoha, and she had just shouted at him. By rights she should be dead, or at least succumbing to a wave of killer hatred like no other. Yet, all she got was a small chuckle.

"I guess you're right, I have no right to judge you. It's just unusual for someone to sit in _my _booth. You're not a regular are you?" he already knew the answer to the question. This was the first time he had ever seen her in here. She seemed a little more reserved now that she knew who he was, yet she didn't revert to the typical stuttering mess of the people who usually spoke to him.

"Where does it say this is _your _booth?" she smirked as she took another swig from the bottle. "And no, this is my first time in here, but my friends recommended this place to me."

"It doesn't, maybe I should talk to Shikaku about that. If you had been a regular, you would know that this is the ANBU section. But considering you're not a regular, I'll let you off." He poured a little bit of the strong smelling liquid into a small cup as he spoke.

"That must be a first, the in-famous Shadow 'letting someone off'." She joked as she took another swig. From what she heard the man was merciless and cold hearted, it was rumoured that no one he had come up against had ever seen anything after seeing his mask.

"Hitting it a little hard on the drink don't you think?" he pointed to the three empty bottles that was stood next to the one she was drinking at the minute.

"I'm not used to drinking so I asked for the weakest stuff he has. I need to think some things through, and my teammate told me that drinking helps."

"You're going to need stronger stuff than that if you want to clear your mind. Trust me." before she could decline, he poured more liquid into his cup and handed it to her. The smell was extremely strong, but she simply opened her mouth and drank it whole. She could feel it burn the back of her throat as it trickled down her oesophagus, causing her to gasp for air momentarily.

"Kami, how can you drink that stuff?" she panted as she took a swig from her low-concentrate bottle to get rid of the burning sensation.

"Lots of practice," he joked as she handed him the cup back.

They sat there in silence for a brief while, living in their own little worlds, drinking away contently. He could see that she was tormenting herself over something, yet he didn't want to be too forward with her. All he could do was wait and see if she wanted to tell him.

They seemed to be attracting looks from a number of the closer tables. The regulars had never seen him speak so much to someone before. Aside from Shikaku he never spoke to anyone, unless they were in his seat, then he gave them one warning before they usually left in fear. But tonight, people saw a different side of him, and it intrigued many.

"Have you ever lost someone that you hold dear to you?" Her question caught him off guard as he was busy signalling to Shikaku to send over another bottle of Sake.

"Yes, it was part of the reason I joined ANBU. I used to have precious people to me, but after they had gone I felt like I had no place in the normal world anymore..." he got distracted by the waitress who brought over another bottle of the good stuff.

"Did it help?" a single tear trickled down her face as she spoke.

"Not particularly, no. The only time I feel anything, is when I'm ending the lives of others. I am filled with a void that will not disappear no matter how many lives I extinguish. I am a mere shell of the man I used to be." Naruto lacked emotion as he spoke. He knew that she was feeling pain over something, but he wasn't the kind hearted person he used to be. There was no advice he could give her, all he could do was answer her questions.

"Can I have some more of what you're drinking?" she fluttered her eyelashes flirtatiously as she asked him. He could tell that she was joking to duck around replying to his depressing last answer, but it didn't bother him.

"As long as you promise me that I won't have to carry you home later." If she could see his face she would be able to first genuine smile he had made in months. Little did he know that her present was the last thing to make him smile.

"I can't promise anything." Hinata smirked as she took another cup full of the throat scolding drink and planted it down in front of her before looking up towards the darkness that hid the man's face. "Why do you hide yourself from the world? From the rumours I have heard you are a great Shinobi, worthy of the highest prestige?" Like everyone else, she was intrigued by the man. He was so mysterious, yet so powerful. One could only wonder why such a person would hide behind such a demonic mask.

"It's simple. I am no hero. I don't deserve to be in the limelight. The role of a shinobi should be to keep the peace, not to wage war. I am an assassin, a murderer. My face should never leave the shadows." She couldn't understand how someone could become so twisted yet remain so calm and loyal.

"Death is part of the life of a Shinobi. You shouldn't hide in the shadows because you fear it. Maybe if you show the world your face, someone may acknowledge you for what you are."

"So, why were you sat in the darkest seat in a bar full of fellow shinobi? If you can sympathise with my tormented soul, why can't you sympathise with your own, Hyuga Hinata?" After he finished speaking he downed another cup of Sake. He had been waiting for a drink for five days.

"Y-you know who I am?" she let out sheepish reply as she watched another cup disappear underneath the hood.

"Of course. Hyuga Hinata, Age 17. Rank Chuunin and serves under Jounin Sensei Yuhi Kurenai. Heiress to the Hyuga clan and older sister of Hyuga Hanabi." Naruto replied matter-of-factly to the disbelief of Hinata. Aside from her friends, no one knew a great deal about her aside from the fact she was a Hyuga, yet a total stranger seemed to know a hell of a lot.

"How do you know so much about me?" She didn't think she could possibly become any more intrigued by this person, and then he said that. _'Just who is he?'_

"Did you not cover ANBU basics in the Academy?" He joked as she sat back in her seat and apologised. She forgot for a second that he was covered up for a reason. "Now, are you drunk enough to tell a complete stranger why the Hyuga Heiress is in a shinobi bar on her own?" The question was met by her pouring herself another cup of Sake from his bottle, and downing the contents.

"I lost one of my teammates eight months ago. I knew him since the Academy, and we were on the same Genin team from the age of twelve. After a tough ordeal with the person I believed to be my soul mate, Kiba was there to help me through it. He became my best friend. He helped me to get over him and allowed me to move on with my life. We were never serious but he made me feel wanted, which is something the person who owns my heart never did. Since he has left me, I have become more alone than I have ever been. I finally drew enough courage to speak to the person I have always loved, but he disappeared off the face of the earth and no one has any information on him. I think he might be..." She couldn't muster the strength to say the final word of her life story of a rant, but he knew what word she feared saying through the tears.

"Don't worry. If he was dead then it would show up on the rosters. If a person was to just disappear off the face of the earth like this, it usually means they have joined ANBU, or have taken up an S-rank mission that can last for longer than two months."

Naruto tried his best to reassure her, without actually saying anything that could give him away. He never realised how strongly she felt about him. Also, he had gotten her 'relationship' with Kiba completely wrong. After all of Kiba's bragging, from the way that Hinata talked about them, they never really got beyond the first stage of a relationship. He would love to just pull down his hood and reveal his face to her, but he wasn't ready for that. He had too many inner demons, and had hurt too many people. _That _is why he wore the mask.

"R-really?" She whispered through her tears as she tried to clear her throat to speak again. The nod of the hood appeared to brighten her spirits slightly. She thought that she had lost him too. "T-thank-you, S-Shadow-san. Now, I really must be going before my father sends out the entire compound looking for me." To his amazement, she was still graceful on her feet as she stood up. He fully expected her to collapse due to the alcohol, but no, her ballet dancer-like balance maintained her as she placed some money on the table for the drinks.

"Goodnight Hyuga Hinata." A hint of sadness crept into his voice as she smiled at him before turning around and heading towards the door, attracting the attention of the few Shinobi that were still left in the place. Never before had they seen Shadow so open with someone.

He slumped back into his seat and picked up his mask. He pondered what it would like to live life without this mask, but quickly decided that such a life would cloud his judgement. In a sense, Danzo had been right. Emotions are the greatest weakness of a shinobi. Yet, paradoxically, they are also a shinobi's greatest strength.

"Alright you drunkard bastards, closing time, I'm bored now." That was the only problem with the bar. Some nights, the inherent lazy bastard gene made him close up early, just because he couldn't be bothered serving drinks any longer. A disgruntled jeer came from the few remaining shinobi who slowly began filing out into the streets, leaving Shikaku and Naruto alone. "Got a little crush on the Hyuga Heiress have we, Naruto?"

"I'm sorry, who?" Shadow played dumb as he walked from his booth, placing his mask on his face and pulling the hood down, presenting Nara Shikaku face-to-face with the mask that very few lived beyond seeing.

"Don't play dumb with me kid, I have an IQ of 220, and I am Tsunade's tactical specialist. You appeared on the rosters almost straight after Namikaze Uzumaki Naruto's last known mission. You have blonde hair and a taste for seals and in all the time you have been coming in here, you have never spoken to one person aside from when you've been ordering drinks. Hyuga Hinata was a classmate and a close friend of Naruto, and she is the first person I have ever seen you so lenient towards. Don't take me for a fool just because I'm as lazy as Shikamaru."

"I don't know what you are talking about Shikaku. If you are so intelligent, you should know that only the Hokage and the Head of ANBU are permitted to know the names of any ANBU member. Goodnight old man, and put 'Shadow' on my booth so no one sits there in future." He completely dismissed the Nara's assumptions as he turned and headed for the exit. _'God damn Nara's always trying to get the upper hand.' _He thought to himself as he headed home towards his family estate under the star lit sky.

* * *

Bit of a long chapter, but I hope you all enjoyed it.

There are a number of reasons for his codename...Shadow. First, anyone that reads/watches Naruto should know that 'Shadow' is the translation of 'Kage'. Kakashi gave him the name because he is easily at Kage level and also because his signature move is the Kage Bunshin. Basically it's a private joke between the two. Second, Naruto is dark and conflicted, and is a man known to keep in the dark, hence the name 'Shadow'. Third, the name is a way to constantly signify that Naruto has become a shadow of his former self.

Reviews are always welcome. I reply to all reviews good or bad.

If you have some spare time, don't forget to catch my other story A Hero's Return. After I get my final few essays finished for the semester I will be moving to a weekly rotation between stories, so hopefully I should have a new chapter coming out every week, and a new chapter for each story every two.

Thanks for reading guys.


	3. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto. Now that that's out of the way, there will be no slating from me concerning the Manga until the next ridiculously poor chapter. There hasn't been one for about 5 Chapters, so let's hope Kishimoto keeps this up. On the other hand, running on 15 episodes of flashback fillers now...OH. MY. GOD please let it end soon.

**Author Note:** I know it has been weeks since my last update, but I've finally finished my semester. That means, story time! I'm that happy that I've got my life back that I'm spending most of it writing my fanfics...but anyways, here is Chapter 3, and chapter 4 will be on its way shortly.

* * *

Chapter 2 – off-duty

"So, it's come down to this?" A fatigued voice escaped the lips of a blonde figure knelt on one knee as he tried to gain his breath. His piercing blue eyes remained fixated on his opponent, never lingering from their bloodied face.

"You always were dead last. Look at you, you can barely stand." The blonde's opponent laughed as a deafening shriek drowned out the screams of the wounded scattered across the battlefield, as a blue light flashed across his palm positioned to strike his defeated foe. "It ends here."

As the light from the Chidori lit up the face of the defeated figure, a single tear could be traced moving down their cheek, lingering on his chin before dropping into the pool of blood beneath the kneeling figure.

"There really is nothing left of you in there." The deflation and disappointment of the figures voice was so clear when he spoke to his former comrade, his 'brother'.

"I severed all ties with you and that wretched village a long time ago. Where is your precious Konoha now? When it comes down to it, you were always just an outcast. They have left you here to die alone, like you always have been..." the harshness of his words seemed to sink in to the figure as he paused, allowing his Sharingan to flare. "Any last words I can give to Sakura when I destroy _your _pitiful village?"

"I'm sorry..." was all that the blonde could muster under his heavy breaths before a palm of electricity thrust towards him. In an instant, the blonde lay defeated with a hole punched through his shoulder. The relief that the dark-haired Akatsuki member felt when he struck the final blow was unimaginable. As Sasuke took one final look at his bounty, he caught what sounded like a whisper riding along the strong winds, and all it said was "...Sasuke."

In no more than a second of looking over his shoulder, Sasuke felt cold, much colder than he should have done under the setting sun in Suna's desert valley. As he turned back, he saw _him_ not an inch away from his face.

"How...?" was all that the bewildered figure could say, before he began to cough uncontrollably, spitting up the blood that had begun to flood into his lungs.

His blue eyes were dulled by sadness as he pulled the chakra-enhanced kunai from the Uchiha's chest, causing him to fall to his knees instantly. Blood gushed from the gaping wound as Sasuke's eyes began to glaze over; his final sight in the realm of the living was that of Naruto's 'dead body' vanishing from existence.

"A...Kage...Bunshin..." were the final words of the legendary S-rank criminal that was Uchiha Sasuke, as his arms finally buckled under the weight of his body, sending his soul into the next plain of existence.

Silence greeted the actions of the blonde. He remained speechless as the kunai fell from his hands, impacting on the sand. Shortly after his knees buckled, sending him crashing to the deck, leaning over his body. Those who were still able to fight instantly halted their individual battles. Every set of eyes honed in on him, each with a tone of disgust and hatred as he forced his arm under the body in front of him, turning him so that he could see his face one last time...

"SASUKE!"

...

Sweat dripped off the brow of the figure that had shot up in bed following their spine tingling scream. He could feel how wet the sheets were beneath him as he forced his palms into the bed in order to keep himself upright. His exposed torso shook violently as beads of sweat glistened in the light bathing his body from the rising sun.

"Just a dream..." he muttered to himself under his erratic breaths as he slowly calmed down, before dragging his poorly functioning body into the bathroom that adjoined his master bedroom. After dousing his reddened face in cold water, he looked into the mirror that acted as the door to the wall unit.

His boyish looks seemed to have all but disappeared. His chiselled jaw and cheek-bones were covered in stubble, almost completely masking his defining feature, his birthmark whiskers. A long scar ran from the corner of his lip almost directly into his eye socket, with a number of minor scars and blemishes dotted all over his face and shoulders. The piercing blue eyes were no longer as striking as they used to be, almost appearing a dull grey in the light. The only thing that remained similar was his hair, although this was significantly longer than he used to have it, resting on his shoulders. Although he was only eighteen, he could have easily passed for someone of Kakashi's generation. The life he led had most certainly taken its toll on his appearance, as well as his psychological state.

An age seemed to pass by as he just looked at his own reflection, almost waiting for it to turn and walk away in disgust. Eventually he pulled himself from his gaze and headed towards the shower, loosening the cord on his pyjama bottoms before dropping them to the floor. He stood there, letting his body bask in the glory of the slowly heating water, cleansing his body, as well as his mind. All the pain seemed to wash off him as he rid himself of his demons, at least for that moment in time. As soon as he turned off the shower, all the pain flooded his mind once again. Unable to break from his nightmares, he stepped back out of the shower and reached for a near-by towel, covering his manhood as he walked back into the bedroom.

The infamous ANBU operative sat back on the bed, resting his head in his hands as the conflict within his mind raged on tirelessly. He sat motionless long enough for his body to dry on its own, causing the hairs on the back of his neck to stand on end, jolting him from his train of thought. He eventually moved from his seated position, looking around the room aimlessly before hurriedly placing on a pair of black combat trousers and mesh undershirt, and his freshly cleaned chest plate.

"_There's no way I can relax after that nightmare." _He thought to himself as he fixed his menacing mask in position and shunshined away from his bedroom, reappearing in a near-by street. A benefit of officially accepting his heritage meant that the keys to the Namikaze estate were passed on to Naruto. Unfortunately, a stipulation of living their meant that no one could see him enter or exit the house, as to keep up the guise of his 'disappearance'. He couldn't stand his old apartment any longer, and the accommodation at the ANBU barracks was even worse than his shitty rundown shoe-box of a place.

He turned back onto the street that ran directly towards his house. Fortunately, it resided in an old residential district, farthest away from 'ground zero' of his fight with Pain. It remained completely untouched by the blast from his Shinara Tensei. From the outside it looked like a dump, exactly how you would expect a building to look after being unoccupied for almost 20 years. It truly did look like no one had stepped foot inside it for over a decade, but that was not the case. The house had been restored to its original state, inside and out, but in order to keep up appearances, it remained under a constant high levelled genjutsu.

"Yo," an indifferent voice called out from behind the infamous Shadow.

"Good morning Senpai, what can I do for you?" he replied without even turning to see his ANBU commander balancing easily on top of a wooden fence that ran along the street. He continued walking in his current direction towards the market district, almost shunning his existence with his actions, whilst waiting for some form of ill-felt joke at the same time.

He didn't receive a reply at first, until he felt the air pressure change around him as someone shunshined into the spot besides him. It must have been a chilling sight for some, especially those who were shinobi, watching the fabled Shadow and the only ANBU even more notorious than him, walking side-by-side through the streets of Konoha. The looks they received were of fear, mixed in with lust from many of the female shinobi. The mystery of these two individuals was enough for most, but the ice-cold demeanour and the rumours about their power was enough to make some of the more...bloodthirsty kunoichi squeal in ecstasy every time they saw them. Fan girls... hn.

"I need to discuss your next mission, or rather, your _first _official ANBU mission." That caught Naruto's attention, causing him to stop in his tracks as he glanced to his commander.

"Don't you think we could do with a more _private_ setting for that Senpai?" He mused as he waited for an answer.

"Shikaku's given me the keys to his bar, we will be alone. And we can steal the good stuff whilst he's not there." A small chuckle escaped from underneath the wolf mask the silver-haired ANBU commander donned as he continued walking in the direction of the best bar in Konoha. "Of course, if you don't want to take advantage of poor Shikaku's hospitality we can always discuss this later in full at the mission briefing with Tsunade-sama." Kakashi retorted as he couldn't feel Naruto following him.

"You had me at 'steal the good stuff'," he smirked under his mask as he carried on walking behind him. "And _our _mission? I'm intrigued." His remark received no notification from his comrade as they reached the bar.

"Let's take the back entrance as to avoid attention."

"Hai."

* * *

The aroma of alcohol and cigarette smoke greeted the two as they opened the door. It would be intoxicating to anyone who wasn't a seasoned drinker, which would be an understatement for these two. Kakashi walked behind the bar and pulled out four bottles of 'the good stuff' as Naruto walked to _his _seat.

"Son of a bitch!"

"Hm, what's wrong Naruto?" A hint of interest crept into his monotone voice as he carefully carried the bottles over on a tray, with some cups and an assortment of snacks.

"Shikaku, that's what. I told him to put _Shadow _on my seat so that no-one would sit there anymore." he fumed as he stood there staring at the small placard that had been drilled in place on the table in front of his seat.

"Firstly, why the hell did you ask him to do that? And secondly, what are you moaning about?" As Kakashi placed the tray onto the table he looked at where Naruto was pointing and began to read the inscription. "Property of Namikaze Uzum..." Kakashi burst out laughing before he could finish reading it.

"Har har Kakashi-senpai. He's just as annoying, if not more, than Shikamaru." Before Kakashi could make a crude remark Naruto whipped out a kunai and forcefully removed the placard, splintering much of his side of the table in the process.

"Gotta love a Nara's sense of humour," the silver-haired ANBU smirked as he removed his porcelain mask, presenting the normal cloth that covered the majority of his face. "How did he figure it out?"

"You know Shikaku, his brain is always calculating, I straight out denied it though" he sighed as he removed his mask. The only people to have ever seen 'Shadow' without the mask were Kakashi and Tsunade.

"Wow, you look like shit. Something wrong?" The almost concerned Kakashi asked as he passed him a bottle of Sake.

"Didn't sleep well, that's all. So what did you want to discuss about the mission?" Naruto batted away the comment and inhaled the Sake quicker than he poured it into the cup.

"Very well..." the mood suddenly got serious as the ranking shinobi placed his bottle on the table, "We will be acting as tactical support for an S-rank joint-operation tomorrow morning. Gaara will be sending his best reconnaissance team, and we will be sending ours. The target is an Akatsuki base of operations in the bordering Amegakure."

"And the objective?" Naruto was entirely focussed on the mission, placing any of his conflicting emotions at the back of his mind. He already knew who the Konoha team would be, and he was trying his best not to let that disrupt his calm.

"Information gathering, nothing more. Madara's army hasn't made any large scale attacks in a couple of months, especially not on Konoha. Intelligence from my spy network has pinpointed Amegakure as a point of interest." Kakashi relaxed back into his chair and took a drink. It was still a mystery to Naruto how he never saw him remove the cloth from his mouth when he drank.

"So, our role is to act as backup, only to be used if things go drastically wrong?"

"Bluntly put, yes. The reconnaissance team will have no idea that we will be accompanying them. We will be maintaining a safe distance at all times as to not alert them to our presence. If all goes well, we won't be needed."

"Yes, if all goes well," he joked as he poured another cup of Sake. If Tsunade was willing to put him _and _Kakashi on the same mission, the risks must be unimaginable. Of course, he knew that team Kurenai wouldn't go down without a fight, which made him feel a little easier.

The two carried on discussing battle tactics and fine details of the mission for well over an hour; easily polishing off the bottles Kakashi took from under the counter. Aside from last night's opportune conversation with one Hyuga Hinata, Naruto only ever really spoke at length with Kakashi. It provided a sense of security that he needed, considering their shared past. When Naruto discussed his heritage with his sensei, he opened up even more to his student, sharing many stories with him about the escapades of Minato and his genin squad. He felt responsible for everything that had happened in Naruto's life, and over the past two months he had tried to do everything to make up for that. He was the only person in the world who Naruto could trust entirely, and that allowed him to forget all his pain whenever they were together. Unfortunately for Naruto, Kakashi had to call their drinking session short as for the fact that he was still had a ton of paper work to do.

"Please don't spend the rest of the day in here Naruto. I need you to be sober for this mission. If it goes wrong, it will go wrong badly."

"Don't worry I have something else that I need to do. Later, Kakashi-senpai." With that Naruto was gone, leaving Kakashi staring at the empty seat that Naruto disappeared from.

"Most likely that involves drinking somewhere else..." the resident Sharingan user sighed as he wrote a note apologising to Shikaku for the table, before disappearing into a cloud of smoke.

* * *

It was an oddly pleasant day within Konoha. The sun was shining brighter than it had in months, the streets seemed busier than usual. One could even here the sound of children playing, something that happened so rarely in a city under strict war-time protocols. It was like everyone was beginning to forget that there was a war on. Though I guess that was to be expected, considering the closest thing to a battle the village had seen in the past few months was when Konohamaru got caught peeking in the women's spa. Yet, there was still one place in Konoha where spirits were as low and remorseful as usual.

A lone figure occupied the field of head-stones beneath the statue that symbolised Konoha's 'Will of Fire'. She seemed to have been there all morning, kneeling in front of the same grave without moving an inch. That is, until something caught her attention. She had been there all morning and no one had come in, or out of the cemetery. Yet, there stood one person, directly in front of the monument. She hadn't even registered their presence until she looked up. _"No wonder I didn't sense them, they're ANBU by the looks of it."_ She watched as they just seem to stand there, gazing at the statue.

"You know, it's rude to stare." The voice from behind her caught her attention, immediately jumping to her feet into a defensive stance. She looked back to the statue to find that there was no one standing there.

"Such speed..." she eeked out as she turned to greet the figure. The chill that was running down her spine only grew more as she looked at the man's 'face'. "Y-you," she stuttered as she eased her arms to her sides, yet still remained extremely cautious.

"Sorry Hyuga Hinata, I didn't mean to startle you." The apology was quite weak, but she wasn't even expecting that from him.

"I-it's o-okay, Shadow-san. I didn't m-mean to s-stare like that." She still seemed in shock but she couldn't resist looking at him from top to bottom.

He was so different to what she had expected. All she had been able to glean off him in their previous interaction was his voice, and that he enjoyed alcohol. His face was in a shroud of darkness, and his body was covered by a white hooded cloak, but today she could see him in all his glory.

The first thing that caught her attention was his eyes. They seemed so striking. If they were a shade darker she would have thought that...Even his hair was similar to _his_. He was a lot taller than she expected, easily towering over her and she wasn't what you would call short. His arms seemed to be missing something, from what she remembered from the previous night. Then she realised that he wasn't wearing the guards on his forearms. This presented her with a complete view of his well defined arms, showing a number of tattoos on his forearms, as well as the standard ANBU stencil that was on his upper-arm. There seemed to be no Konoha Hitai-ite on his person, but it wasn't uncommon for an ANBU to not carry the Konoha symbol on their combat clothing. She could feel her pulse racing as she caught his dull blue eyes doing exactly the same thing to her from beneath his mask.

"It's fine Hyuga Hinata, I guess I just wanted an excuse to say hello. A cemetery is not the kind of place one should visit on their own..." it looked as if he was almost trying to console her as his voice trailed off for a moment, thinking about other things before returning to his senses. "I take it that you are here to visit the person you were discussing last night?" He averted his eyes from her ample bosom after he finished examining her perfect figure, resting his eyes back on her beautiful lavender-tinted ones. His tone of voice remained soft throughout his address to her.

The only reply he received was a saddened nod as she turned back to the grave of one Inuzuka Kiba. It was understandable really, as some found it a lot harder to deal with death than others, and he knew how kind-hearted the Hyuga heiress was. So much so that one would not even realise that she _was _a Hyuga unless they looked at her eyes and milky complexion.

"I haven't been to visit him in a while, and I am leaving on a mission tomorrow. It may be the last chance I have to say good-bye." The Hyuga heiress jumped slightly as she felt something rest on her shoulder. She sub-consciously moved her hand to remove _it_, only to realise that _it_ was a hand, _his _hand. Her petite fingers lingered on the rough skin of the well-seasoned shinobi that placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. It felt...nice.

"Don't worry about it. I'm sure it will be fine. You can come and visit him when you get back." She felt his hand squeeze her shoulder slightly when he finished speaking. Her mind was telling her to let go, but her body acted on its own, grasping his hand and squeezing back. She couldn't understand it, but there was something about him that she found so, intriguing.

"You know, you really are nothing like the stories." She smiled as she picked herself up and faced him again, smiling slightly as she spoke.

"How do you mean?" She could almost feel his whole demeanour change as he spoke, scratching the back of his head in embarrassment.

"You are _Shadow_, the most dangerous, cold-hearted assassin in Konoha, if not the whole shinobi world. But, you don't seem too bad to me. One could even go as far as saying you are nice." She smiled at him as she placed her hand onto the head-stone and walked towards the statue that rested at the forefront of the cemetery.

"I'm afraid you are mistaken. You are just lucky enough to have never seen me fight..." he trailed off again as he walked behind her. "...thank-you, Hyuga Hinata. I don't think I have been called _nice_ since, well ever." Even behind the mask, she could feel the smile that he had on his face. This guy really was something different.

"You're welcome. But I take it you came here for something other than to ogle my breasts." Her crude remark was met by a sudden coughing fit, as if someone was choking. _"Men." _her inner-self mused as she heard him muster up some form of apology before standing beside her.

"As much as I came here to examine your amazing figure, I also came here to mourn. I have lost so many people close to me that it's hard not to. At first I couldn't stomach it, but now-a-days I come here every day, providing I am in the village of course." The black-masked ANBU turned to face Hinata, only to realise that she was _bright _red.

"Are you okay?" he calmly asked as she just nodded hurriedly before taking a number of deep breaths. It took a few moments but she eventually calmed down and the over-abundance of colour left her cheeks. _"She really is cute. Wait, what? _Cute?_ Where did that come from? Okay, calm down you baka before you do something stupid." _

"Ano- I'm sorry but I have to leave for a meeting now. Thank-you for keeping me company Shadow-san."

"I understand, Hyuga Hinata. Thank you for brightening up my day." She was taken aback by that. _She _'brightened up' _his _day? She could feel the colour rising in her cheeks again.

As fearsome and vulgar as his mask was, she couldn't help by gaze into his eyes. That is when she realised that he was staring back at her with the same intensity. It felt like nothing either of them had ever felt before, each brimming with new-found emotions they never knew that they had. They openly gazed at each other until eventually Hinata broke free from his entrapping eyes, bowing gracefully before walking away.

"_He really is something, different. But, I can't fall for someone other than Naruto. What are these feelings? I shouldn't feel anything for anyone but him." _The inner battle raged on inside her mind as she walked away from her source of conflict.

"_Wow, I really am a fool. How on earth did I ever let her slip by me all those years ago? I was so blind to not notice her. I just hope that when the time comes, she can forgive me." _He couldn't help but allow his eyes to linger on her perfect hips as she walked away from him. The way they swayed as she walked, the way her long flowing hair bounced off her back, it was all so, perfect.

It didn't take long until she finally reached the exit, leaving him alone in the eerie cemetery. He stayed there for another ten minutes, just staring blankly at the statue before eventually mustering up the courage to say something.

...

"Forgive me...Sasuke." With those words he disappeared into a swirl of leaves, reappearing on the head of the Yondaime on the Hokage memorial. He really enjoyed the spot; it provided a perfect view of the whole village, as well as his own personal memorial to his father. It had always been his favourite place when he was little, and now he finally knew why.

"I thought you would be coming up here at some point. Kakashi said you seemed a little off." The voice grew louder as the person approached him, before sitting down beside him.

"Come to cheer me up have you Tsunade?" he joked as he flicked some blood over a seal on his arm, retrieving a bottle of Sake from the smoke that appeared.

"Jeez, what _don't_ you have in those seals?" she replied, bemused to think that he had such talent for using seals. _"You truly are your father's son"_ she thought to herself.

"A monkey," he answered dryly almost catching her off-guard. She tried desperately to maintain a straight face as he removed his mask, casually uncorked the bottle and started drinking.

"Baka! Give me that," she snatched the bottle away from him and took a big swig, before wiping her mouth dry with the back of her hand. "So, what's on your mind? Hinata perhaps?" He caught the grin plastered on her face as he went to grab the bottle back from her.

"No, why would it be Hinata?" he replied confusedly before telling her the truth. "I had _that _nightmare again," he eventually managed to pry the bottle from her tight grip and took another swig.

"I can prescribe some medication to help you sleep if you want? It's not uncommon for shinobi to relive traumatic events through their dreams." Tsunade always had been concerned for Naruto, even if she didn't show it that much. He was the last keep-sake of Jiraiya, his last student, who carried on his legacy albeit through a warped perspective.

"No, it's okay. I deserve to torment myself with it. After all, it _is _how I killed him. It is something I have to live with every day, even if I could take away the nightmares with pills, the feelings will still be there when I'm awake. I'll survive without them."

"Naruto...It wasn't your fault. It was do or die, everyone understands that..."

"Not everyone..." he cut her off before returning to the bottle. "I know you're just trying to help, but it's not just gunna go away. _I_ killed Sasuke, _I_ broke my promise to Sakura, _I _crushed Hinata's heart, and_ I_ destroyed my relationships with everyone I used to call my friends. _Nothing_ will change that now. Just let me do my job and end this fucking war so that won't have to suffer any longer."

"Sitting here drinking all day won't end the war. I thought you would have done something more productive on your day off." She joked before taking some more of the strong smelling liquid.

"I need to conserve my energy for tomorrow. I won't let anything happen to Hinata – I mean, team Kurenai..." Naruto instantaneously slapped his forehead as he saw the perverted grin return to the Godaime's face.

"So Shikaku was right then. Having such feelings can be healthy for a shinobi you know." She teased as he turned and faced her.

"Not for an ANBU. If I let my emotions get in the way on a mission it can get me killed." He stated before finishing off the bottle. "Besides, she will never forgive me."

"She has already forgiven you Naruto. That poor girl comes into my office almost every day that she's off-duty, asking me for any information we have on your whereabouts. As much as it pains me to not say anything, it isn't my place to tell her. Please don't shut yourself off from her. That girl is probably the only thing that can save you from this path of despair." Tsunade looked on as the inner-battle of his emotions flashed across Naruto's face. She could see it in his eyes that he already knew that she had forgiven him, but had he forgiven himself?

"Just know that I will do everything in my power to protect her team tomorrow." That caught her attention. The busty blonde hadn't heard him say anything about protecting anyone in a _long_ time.

"See, there is still a shred of Naruto in there, even if it's only faint. You might shut yourself off from the world by hiding beneath that god forsaken mask, but deep down you're still the Hero that this village came to acknowledge."

Tsunade just sat there, waiting for a reply that never came. She looked to her side where he had been sat, only to find the space vacant. _"How the hell does he do that?" _she thought to herself as she stayed there, looking down at the inhabitants of her village scurry around, going about their lives as normal. They really did look like ants from her position. Her focus was disrupted by a sudden popping sound that came from behind her.

"What is it, ANBU-san?" she asked without turning to see the figure donning a porcelain mask with markings similar to that of an Inuzuka.

"The delegation from Suna has arrived Hokage-sama," the female ANBU replied as she watched Tsunade haul herself to her feet before turning to acknowledge her underling. The two abruptly disappeared in a swirl of leaves, leaving the Yondaime to look over his village in peace as the glow from the setting sun caused the streets to smoulder slightly.

* * *

Nightfall fell upon Konoha. It was still fairly early in the evening and the streets were buzzing with an enthusiasm that hadn't been seen in months. Of course, that would abruptly come to an end when curfew came into play, but that was still a few hours away. Neon lights illuminated the streets as they enticed people into the countless bars and restaurants that were open. It was such a strange sight to most, no much more so than the Godaime Hokage. She watched from her office window as life fluttered into the streets down below.

"Hokage-sama...?" a concerned voice called out from behind her as she stood gazing out of the window.

"What? Oh, sorry. As I was saying, the target is _here._" The busty blonde walked back to the large table in the centre of the room with a number of people stood around it. She pointed to the location on the map where the Akatsuki base of operations was believed to have been.

"And the objective?" a deep voice asked as he looked at the map in detail.

"Acquire as much information as you can on their activities. It has been too long since a large scale offensive has come our way. Madara and Kabuto are up to something, and I don't like it one bit. I don't need to explain to you the nature of this mission, as you can see from the faces of your comrades. Team Kurenai of Konoha, and team Kankuro of Suna are the best reconnaissance squads in the joint shinobi forces. But I warn you, if you get caught behind enemy lines you are on your own. There will be _no _backup." The emphasis on the fact that they would be alone caused both Hinata and Matsuri to pale slightly.

"Understood, Hokage-sama," Kurenai responded as she looked around the table. Shino and Sai both looked as indifferent as they always did, but she could see that Hinata looked slightly worried. Kankuro looked as stern as ever, so too did his sister, who had a comforting hand on the shoulder of the youngest member of their team. It was difficult to read the final member of his squad, as their face was almost completely covered in bandages. The only thing you could see were their eyes, which at the time were closed, like the person was deep in thought...or just simply sleeping.

"Don't worry Hinata-san, everything will be fine." Sai whispered to Hinata in an attempt to reassure her. She simply smiled in reply, but he could tell from his extensive 'training' with Sakura what a fake smile was. They were so different, but he definitely preferred the introverted Hyuga over the loud-mouthed and aggressive pink-haired medical Nin.

Tsunade paced around the room briefly as the two teams familiarised themselves with the mission details that were given to them at the beginning of the briefing. She really did feel extremely anxious about this mission. If it went wrong then..._"No, it can't go wrong, that's why _they _are going with them,"_ she thought to reassure herself as she took a cup of Sake from her desk and downed it.

"Is this everything, Hokage-dono?" Kankuro spoke up after he finished analysing what he had been given.

"Hai. I expect you all to be fully equipped and ready to go at 0800, is that understood?"

"Hai," the group replied in unison as they bowed respectfully and headed for the double doors, opening them to exit out into the main hallway where two ANBU stood guard. Kurenai nodded to her two colleagues as she continued to walk on behind Shino and Sai. Hinata walked some distance behind with Temari and Matsuri as Kankuro and Kouhei followed up at the rear.

Each little group seemed to be having their own private conversations as they walked casually down the corridor, until those at the back noticed Shino and Sai rapidly part from the centre of the corridor. Kurenai stood her ground, blocking their view of the two figures that were walking towards her. The look on Sai's face was one that Hinata almost never saw, fear. The older Jounin appeared to nod her head slightly before moving to the side, allowing the duo to walk past her. As Kurenai turned her head back to those behind her, Hinata picked up on the grave sadness that was painted across her sensei's face.

"Hey, isn't that..." Temari began to ask before she got was interrupted.

"Good evening, Hyuga Hinata. Good luck with your mission," a subdued voice spoke out from behind the pitch black mask. _"Team Kankuro is the Suna squad? A good choice to accompany Hinata's team," _he thought to himself as he continued to walk down the hallway.

"Good evening to you also, Shadow-san, and thank-you. We will try our best," she replied as formally as she could, as to avoid any stares. Unfortunately for her, that little tactic didn't have the desired effect.

"_Did she just speak openly to the most feared man in the Shinobi world?" _Kurenai was definitely confused about what had just happened. Half the time Hinata couldn't get more than three words out if someone she didn't know spoke to her. She seemed so calm as she spoke to him. As the baffled look on her face subsided, she transferred her gaze to the two ANBU walking past her. From her stint in ANBU when she was younger, she was fully aware of who the man behind the wolf mask was. The commander was the only person allowed to be known by each and every ANBU in Konoha. But Shadow was a complete mystery. No one had any information on him, beside the rumours about his lack of mercy on the battlefield, and his menacing mask.

Similar thoughts were travelling around the rest of her team. Whenever Sai or Shino had ever seen him, all they wanted to do was leave in a different direction as to avoid eye-contact. Sai had become very wary of those who remained in ANBU during the war, as many had removed their masks to join with the main forces. Shino's bugs gave him all the insight that he needed into this man. Whenever he was close-by, his various colonies would go haywire in response to the man's chakra output. There was something deeply disturbing and unbalanced about this man, yet, he seemed extremely relaxed as he greeted her. More importantly, she replied to him without almost any fear.

It was the first time the Suna shinobi had ever seen this man in the flesh. Nonetheless, they had all heard the rumours about him as they spread like wildfire through the allied shinobi villages. Matsuri almost seemed to hide behind Temari as he walked past them; both were taken aback by the fact that he acknowledged Hinata but no one else. Temari didn't fear him, nor did Kankuro. Growing up with a psychologically tormented Jinchuriki for a little brother meant that very little fazed them. Nevertheless, Kankuro and Kouhei moved out of his way just the same as he brushed by them.

The group turned in unison as Shadow and Wolf carried on walking down the corridor towards the ANBU guards, before disappearing through the doors from which they had just come from. The first to move was Hinata, who walked past Kurenai and continued to the stairs where she was quickly followed by Temari. As the two girls took the forefront, the rest of the group seemed to regain consciousness and bunched up behind them. It seemed like everyone was looking for an explanation, but they were relying on Temari to eke out any information that she could from the shy Hyuga.

"So, tell me Hinata. How is it that you have come to know Shadow? From what I've heard he is a total recluse." Temari was prying as much as she could, but she got no reply from Hinata, simply a blush of the cheeks as she picked up her pace so that she could escape her entourage.

"Don't tell me you have a thing for bad boys?" she nudged her shoulder accusingly as she gave her a sly wink, but still no reply. The flustered Hyuga continued to pick up the pace until she reached the door that led out into the street, where she instantly calmed down as she felt the chilled air brush over her blushing skin.

The rest of the group filed out into the street, each with an intrigued look on their faces. Aside from Kouhei and Shino of course, whose faces were almost completely covered up by their clothing. They appeared to wait with bated breath for some form of answer, yet none came.

"I think we should call it a night, Kankuro-san. My team will be ready to leave at the departure time at the main gate. Until then, goodnight," Kurenai politely broke the tension within the group and began to walk away from the crowd of people after saying her goodbyes.

Kankuro nodded in reply and signalled to his team to move out, much to the disappointment of Temari and Matsuri. Hinata seemed to relax as she saw their faces turn away from her and leave in a different direction, leaving her alone with Shino and Sai.

"Goodnight, Shino-kun, Sai-kun."

"Goodnight, Hinata-san. But before you leave, I feel I must warn you about Shadow-san..." Sai was interrupted before he could say anymore.

"Don't worry about me Sai-kun. I have no interest in him." The denial in her voice was betrayed by the look in her eyes, and the rosy tint of her cheeks.

Sai picked up on this but simply nodded before jumping onto a nearby rooftop and leaving the scene. Shino inclined his head slightly in acknowledgement and turned away from her, walking towards the market district. Finally she was at peace. After a long, well-needed sigh of relief, she headed for home down a cobbled street with wooden fencing on either side.

With each step she took she began to feel uneasy, as if she was being watched. The timid Hyuga instinctively activated her Byakugan, but found no one in the direct vicinity. After searching copious rooftops and alleyways, she found where the intent look was coming from. There _he _stood, gazing directly at her from the very same room she had been in not five minutes ago.

As she continued to walk away from the Hokage tower, she examined him in much finer detail by using her specialised eyes. His chakra system seemed so familiar to her, yet somewhat different. The sheer size and volume of his chakra coils was unimaginable. Not even Naruto's could compare to this mysterious figures. The aura that irradiated from him was a mixture of pain and suffering, and...hope. Something seemed to be burning brighter within him by the second as he looked down at her, completely oblivious to the fact that she was watching him through her 360' vision.

She was so captivated by him that she completely forgot the code of secrecy that all ANBU had to live by. Her mind was overflowing with thoughts as she focussed her view away from his chest, to his neck, and further to the lower part of his mask...

"Looks like you have an admirer Hinata." The girl in question was immediately brought back to reality by the voice that chuckled at the sudden flash of red that ran across her students face.

"I-I d-don't know w-what you're t-talking about s-sensei," she stuttered as she watched as her sensei walked out from a side street.

"I'm not blind Hinata. _He's _been staring at you since the second he spotted you from Hokage-sama's window. And don't think I didn't notice you using your Byakugan to look back at him." Hinata had almost forgotten she was still 'using' her eyes to stare at him without giving herself away. After deactivating her technique she glanced over to her sensei and smiled in defeat.

"I can't help it. There is something about him that I'm drawn to. He just seems so, familiar." She sighed as she dropped her head, thinking about Shadow for the hundredth time since their meeting that morning.

"I understand Hinata, but you shouldn't get too drawn to an ANBU member. Especially not _that _ANBU, he is far too unstable. Everyone that dons the signature attire of ANBU wears it for a reason..." At this point, Kurenai rolled up the sleeve on her right arm, presenting the trademark stencil of the black ops. division, "...believe me I know."

"I-I didn't know you were part of ANBU, Kurenai-sensei."

"I'm not any longer, thankfully. I wasn't much older than you when I joined the special operations division, during a very dark part of my life. I wouldn't go back to that life even for the insane money you get given," she chuckled as she turned to her student, giving her a comforting smile.

"I know you are at a cross-road Hinata, but believe me, you are better off waiting for Naruto to return home than becoming attached to such a callous and merciless man. I made the same mistake you are thinking about making, and it left me heartbroken." Kurenai looked up at the stars as she spoke, as if she was trying to clear her mind of some traumatic memory that lingered from her younger years.

"H-he isn't how everyone makes him out to be. The rumours aren't as accurate as you think sensei; he has only ever been kind and caring to me. He is dark and conflicted, but he isn't merciless... at least when it comes down to me. I don't even know who he is, but he seems more interested in me than Naruto-kun has even been." Hinata didn't know why, but she wanted to defend her feelings for him, even if she wasn't sure what those feelings actually were. All she knew was that she felt connected to him, and it felt good.

"I understand Hinata, I really do. The man I fell for acted exactly the same with me, but..." Kurenai seemed to drift off again as she thought about what to say to her student. "I just don't want to see you get hurt Hinata. You've already been through enough in your life."

"Ano- is the man you fell for the person that was walking with Shadow-san before? I-I saw the way you looked at him." She knew that she might have been overstepping her mark, but she could feel her sensei's sadness just by glancing at her as they walked down the candle-lit cobbled pathway.

"Hinata I- yes, it was him." She fought for a brief moment before she realised that she couldn't lie in front of the eyes of a Hyuga, giving in to her student reservedly. "He was a good person, he just had too many inner demons for someone to handle. I get the impression that Shadow-san would be similar to him in that respect. Most people in ANBU are. Please, just be careful Hinata."

"H-hai, Kurenai-sensei. Gomen, I didn't mean to upset you." Hinata looked up to her sensei, her eyes asking for forgiveness as, who looked back in kind.

"It's fine Hinata. Now, I think it would be best if we get some rest before the mission. Good night." Kurenai seemed a little short in her address, but Hinata could tell that she didn't mean to be harsh, she was just upset.

"Goodnight sensei." The womanly Hyuga replied as she waved slightly at Kurenai, who had begun to turn away from her.

They parted ways, each walking in opposite directions down the now fully deserted streets of Konoha. Luckily for Hinata they had walked extremely close to the Hyuga compound, and found herself at the main entrance in a little over a minute. As the heiress reached the gate where two guards were stationed, she heard a commotion coming from within the compound.

...

"Out of the way!" The shout of desperation was followed by what seemed like the flicker of a naked torso and a mess of dark hair, rapidly running away from the head family building, closely followed by her _father_ and a number of guards.

"Get the hell back here Sarutobi!" Hinata recognised that to be the voice of her father. _"This can't be good," _she thought to herself as she entered the compound with the two guards standing directly behind her.

"I can't help who your daughter falls in love with!" _"This definitely isn't good,"_ she knew how protective her father was. If Konohamaru was lucky he might escape the death penalty for doing something with her little sister.

"I'll have your head for this!" _"Or not"_ she giggled as she saw that he was heading in her direction, but she had no intention of stopping him. She had known about Hanabi and Konohamaru for some time, and she was finding it too funny to want to stop it any time soon.

"Only if you can catch me!" his laugh was cut short by a shuriken that shot past his eye line. "Hey, watch it! You could have had my eye out." He looked ahead and saw two guards standing straight in front of him, with a figure sat above them in a tree.

"A little help please Hinata-chan?" he shouted at her as she looked on in amusement.

"I'm sorry Konohamaru-kun, but I've got a mission in the morning. Try not to get caught; my father will most likely kill you." He couldn't decide if she was joking or not, but he had no intention of finding out. The sole survivor of the Sarutobi clan realised that he was rapidly running out of options, and he was quickly becoming surrounded. _"There's only one thing left to do," _he thought to himself as he began to perform hand-seals.

"Hāremu no Jutsu!" After the initial smoke cleared from view, the chasing Hyuga's were surrounded by dozens of scantily clad busty brunettes.

"You think such a childish trick will work on a Hyuga? How pathetic..." Hiashi goaded as he watched the real one try and sneak away in the background. "After him!"

After his initial command, Hiashi saw no instantaneous movements from any of the guards. He looked behind him, instantly face-palming as he saw the floor littered with Hyuga guards, each with blood gushing from their noses. "Pathetic."

Hinata looked on in amusement as she walked through the field of drooling men from the 'most honourable' clan in Konoha, much to Hiashi's annoyance.

"I'm sorry I didn't get involved, but I have an S-rank mission tomorrow morning so I need to conserve my energy." She bowed respectfully in front of her father, who replied with a translucent stare followed by a low grunt. Hinata headed into the house as Hiashi stood in the middle of the courtyard, filled with rage that Konohamaru had escaped by using such a cheap trick. He cursed silently as he knew that he had missed his chance. By now he would have reached Tsunade's office and have begged for safe haven.

Hinata opened the front door, silently thanking Naruto for never getting her into such a mess. But deep down, a part of her had wished he had done. It would have been much better than the lack of – well anything, that he had shown her over the past few years. It was such a bitter thought to end her day. All that had been on her mind since leaving the cemetery was those dull blue eyes that seemed to be so infatuated with her. That look was forever burned into her memory, and it felt so much more real than anything that she had ever felt before. Only in her dreams had anyone...mostly Naruto...looked at her in such a way.

As she walked through the hall of the Head family mansion, she gave thought to how happy she had been when Shadow had told her that Naruto was most likely alive. It was strange, but all those feelings of happiness that she felt initially had soured the more she analysed them, as she had walked back from the bar the previous evening. If he was alive, why would he disappear without telling anyone? As her thoughts lingered on the man she believed to own her heart, she found nothing but a feeling of contempt.

"_How can he just disappear like that? He doesn't deserve my feelings. If he cared about me at all he wouldn't have left for two months without any word at all. Eurgh, stop over thinking things Hinata. It's probably like Shadow said...he's probably on an extended top-secret mission. At least Shadow is here. I might not know anything about him, but at least he shows some form of interest in me. No...Stop thinking about him for Kami's sake! You heard what Kurenai said." _

The war of emotions raged on inside her mind, between her rapidly increasing feelings for someone she really knew nothing about, and her wavering opinion of the supposed 'Hero' that was nowhere to be seen. It seemed to her like a battle with no victor, stuck in limbo as her thoughts swayed from the qualities of one, to the negativities of the other with each passing moment. Oh how much it would help her if she knew she was fighting an internal battle for the affection of the same person, just in two guises.

The only thing she could do to take her over active imagination off the two figures trading blows in her mindscape was to read the mission brief for the next day's escapade behind enemy lines. At first it was mildly refreshing, until she had to accept the realities of the mission. If this went wrong, there was a grave chance that she could die. It scared her at first, but she had belief in her team. Their success rate was one of the highest of all of the cells in Konoha, which wasn't a feat to be joked about by any means.

After reading the file for a final time, she retired to her queen size bed. With all that was going on within her mind, she felt at ease the second her head hit the pillow, falling to sleep in a matter of minutes.

* * *

On the other side of Konoha, Naruto was having much greater difficulty sleeping. He had just returned from his briefing with Kakashi, who he had left at the Hokage tower. Apparently he had a further matter to discuss with the lady Hokage. As little as it bothered him, he knew they were discussing him. It had come to his attention that a lot of conversations he had overheard in passing recently had something to do with him, or his alter ego. But that wasn't why he was struggling to sleep. Every time he closed his eyes, a pair of star-like pupils, surrounded in a sea of red flashed in anger at him. It was troubling at the best of times, but it was damn right disturbing after his nightmare that morning.

Eventually he gave in to the tormenting glare from the closest thing he ever had to family, jumping into some clothes that had been scruffily thrown over a chair that rested in the corner of his bedroom, and headed into the darkened hallway.

As expected, his estate was huge. The building had no fewer than six bedrooms, as well as two living areas and two kitchens. It was far too big for one person living on their own, but it didn't bother him too much. If anything he enjoyed it. His life of solitude and brooding seemed fitting for such an empty house.

The thing he appreciated most about his newly accepted inheritance was the well of knowledge that was the library situated on the top floor of the mansion-like building. Upon his parent's death, the Sandaime had moved all of the more...secret holdings within the Namikaze estate into storage that was known only to the Hokage and his direct advisors. Tsunade had allowed for all of the documentation to be moved from storage when Naruto moved in. He now knew everything and anything he could have possibly wanted to know about Namikaze Minato, and Uzumaki Kushina, as well as having access to all of their jutsu's.

He found himself slowly climbing up the spiral staircase situated at the far end of the corridor, to be greeted by rows of book shelves full of family ancestry and useful information about Konoha's many clan's and jutsu's. It was here that he had learnt about, and mastered the copious amount of seals that both the Uzumaki and Namikaze clan's were notorious for using. Here too, he stumbled upon his father's prized possession, the scroll containing the technique that made him famous throughout the land.

It had taken a lot of hard work, because it couldn't be used in conjunction with his normal training approach of using hundreds of Kage Bunshin to minimise the training period. He had only tested it twice in the field, and the first time was a total failure. His attempt on his previous mission had been a drastic improvement, but he was still way off from the desired level of success. At times he wondered if he should even toy with the idea of time-continuum jutsu's, but he knew deep down that if anyone had the potential to surpass his father, it would be him.

It didn't take him long to find what he was looking for. A sole working station was situated in the centre of the room, and it looked like it had been in regular use. The desk was covered in parchment and open scrolls. Whenever he wasn't training, drinking, or on a mission, his top priority was working out a counter to the greatest weapon that was used in the war, the Edo Tensei. After a week or so of learning more minor sealing jutsu's, he came across the jackpot scroll, his father's research into the 'impure-world resurrection', and the dead-man's seal that was used to kill the person's emotions.

Unfortunately, Minato hadn't got very far with it. Such an intricate sealing process was difficult to duplicate, let alone counter. It was something that the blonde teen liked to ponder over when his mind was troubled. It gave him an escape, whilst making him feel like he was actually doing something. He had read over the material at least one hundred times, but he still couldn't grasp it. Better yet, he had no one to ask for assistance because no one in Konoha could even match his current level with sealing techniques.

All he knew was that if he could finish the counter technique, he could end this war once and for all. No longer would his comrades die at the hands of an immortal foe, who could only be destroyed by being sealed away inside of the Shinigami.

Hours seemed to pass as he gazed at his father's work, before he finally succumbed to fatigue, falling asleep on the desk where he spent many of his nights.

* * *

Well, there you have it folks. I know it's not that great of a read, following the last chapter, but I needed a transitional chapter before the mission begins.

Again, I'm really sorry for not posting in so long but as I said at the top, my semester is over now so I have a month or so of relatively free time, so expect a couple of chapters for both my stories...that is if my brain doesn't melt from over thinking the storylines.

And before anyone says anything, yes I know that there are more ways to counter the Edo Tensei than to seal it away inside of the death-god, but I really think the idea of their souls being freed by some emotional speech is a bit much. It seems so, defeatist, to set up so many potentially epic battles, and then allow them to be defeated by having their eyes 'opened up' to some emotional pull on their newly resurrected souls. Some people may disagree, but that's the benefits of having opinions.

Anyway, please take some time to review. I reply to all comments, good or bad.

Don't forget to check out A Hero's Return, which has also been updated today.

Peace.


	4. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto.

**Author Note:** Hey guys, I'm back. I would love to say that I'm back indefinitely, but I can't promise anything. I finally decided to start writing again about two or three weeks ago, and it's taken me weeks to write what I used to write in days...Never a good sign. When you spend most of the academic year researching and writing essays and theses, the last thing you want to do on your vacation is write even more. Sadly for me, I do enjoy it. I can't promise weekly chapters, but I'm not gunna make you wait like 6 months for a chapter again. Again, I'm really sorry to all the followers of my works.

I hope you all enjoy anyway. Here's the latest chapter of Shadow.

* * *

Chapter 4: The Nature of the Beast

Amegakure was known more than anything for its ruthless weather conditions. So much so that it was exceedingly difficult for the most attuned of people to hear anything above the incessant pounding of dense droplets of water and the shrill whistles of the never ending wind. Despite this, the forest that stretched across much of the landscape seemed still; eerily quiet for somewhere being constantly bombarded from the heavens. It felt as if the wind...subsided. Nothing was stirring within the forest, not even a mouse. All was quiet...too quiet...

"FALL BACK!" The masculine roar was followed by a string of explosions that shook the world to the core, the glow of the blasts nearing with each passing moment.

Due to the thick natural canopy, and the mass of cumulonimbus gathering above, it was near impossible to notice that it was actually sunrise. The residual glow of the repetitive onslaught of explosions lit up the area like a dimly lit lantern in the distance, highlighting the mass of figures scurrying through the dense woodland en route to Konoha's border. The scene could be likened to a fox hunt, with so few trying their hardest to outrun the dozens of bloodthirsty figures chasing closely behind. The group looked tired, like they had been running for hours, when in actuality it had only been a matter of minutes. They knew the risks when they accepted the mission, and they were growing increasingly short on ideas on how to escape.

"Ōkamaitachi!" A ragged looking blonde screamed as she swung her war-fan behind her, never stopping in her stride as she kept up with the group. The destructive force of the jutsu was impaired greatly by the current physical condition of the woman, sporting a number of minor blemishes, and a severe looking gash down her left forearm. Still, the vortex of wind managed to cut through the enemy forces like a warm knife through butter, allowing the fleeing squad to put a little distance between their pursuers.

"Chōjū Giga!" A pale skinned male sat on an overhanging branch one hundred yards ahead of the group shouted as his paint brush lifted off the scroll resting on his lap. Half a dozen lions leapt off the paper and weaved through the group, heading directly for the thirty-or-so Ame and Oto Shinobi, led by none other than Deidara.

They followed up the wind users attack perfectly, picking off some of the weaker shinobi, whilst at the same time slowing the pursuers even further allowing the infiltration squad to make their escape. Eventually the enemy shinobi forced their way through the animals, only to play straight into the former Root member's hands.

"Katsu!" The Konoha shinobi yelled as the advancing group halted in their tracks, falling perfectly into his trap.

"That's my line you little..." the un-dead Akatsuki member stopped as he saw the hundreds of explosive tags surrounding his squad ignite. "...oh, shit."

If there was anything Deidara could appreciate, it was the 'true art' of the explosion. The blast completely decimated the Ame and Oto Nin's, only five escaped the blast unscathed, with a further eight left with injuries that would soon prove fatal. Even Deidara felt the pain of the blast, losing much of his right side...only for it to restore itself seconds later. By the time they had regrouped, the joint Konoha and Suna task force was nowhere in sight.

"Shit, Madara's gunna have my head, un." The blonde Akatsuki member cursed as he led those that could continue in the direction of Konoha.

* * *

Another fifteen minutes passed as the group fled like their lives depended on it. The lavender eyed Chuunin at the head of the group acted as a scout, using her clan's Kekkei Genkai as a means of investigating the landscape four kilometres in every direction. Her limit was seven, but with her current chakra usage she had to reduce the scope of her technique. She signalled to the rest of the group as they approached a river, landing in the clearing that acted as a flood plain and slowed to a walking pace. The network of veins that protruded from around her eye sockets subsided instantly as she disengaged her clan's Jutsu, in order to preserve chakra for later.

"I think we're clear, Kurenai-sensei," Hinata breathed a sigh of relief as she spoke, knowing that there was no one within four kilometres of their position. This caused the group to steady their pace significantly, almost to a stop. They found themselves on a grassy floodplain, with a river behind them, and forty metres between their position, and the tree line that surrounded them.

"Understood. Shino, Sai, you know what to do." Kurenai instructed the remaining members of her squad as she rested against a tree trying to catch her breath.

"Hai" the pair replied in unison to their squad leader as Shino dispersed a hive of his bugs in all directions, creating a net to identify any intruders in the area. Sai pulled out another scroll and created hordes of mice, again designed to hunt out potential enemies.

"Perhaps now would be a reasonable time to assess the damage to the squad." The muffled words of the Aburame only incurred the wrath of Temari.

"I'll tell you what the damage is. Kouhei is dead! We're all on our last legs and we're most likely surrounded! Is that a good enough assessment for you?" The anger and despair in her voice was shot in the direction of Shino's remark, but it was merely a knee-jerk reaction to the situation they had been placed in.

"Calm down Temari, it's not his fault. If anything it's my fault for sending him in there." Kankuro rested himself against a tree trunk, clutching his leg where the Raiton jutsu had grazed him. Like the rest of them, he felt aggrieved by what had occurred. The loss of his subordinate and friend was painful, but the horror of what they had stumbled upon was dominating his thought process.

"I...I just can't believe what they are doing. It's evil to the core. I don't care what shape we are in but we _have_ to get this information home. The future of the shinobi world rests on our shoulders." That remark caught everyone's attention. They knew that what they had discovered changed the dynamic of the War to no end, and the success of this mission was the difference between victory and defeat. Kankuro winced in agony after speaking, clutching the burn that ran across the side of his thigh.

"Before we do that, we must take this opportunity to try and heal some of these wounds. No doubt they will make another attempt to subdue us." Shino remarked as he looked upon the group. They were all in fairly bad shape, but he could see just by looking at them that Kurenai, Kankuro and Temari were in the worst shape.

Temari had acted as the rear-guard for the group due to her heightened defences with the use of her war-fan. Despite this she was still bleeding profusely from a severe looking gash to her arm. Kankuro and Kurenai had failed in trying a combination Jutsu in an earlier attempt to escape, only for the move to have been detected by one of the sensor Nin's in the chasing group. The result was Kankuro taking a significant amount of damage, as well as losing one of his main puppets, Karasu. The head Kunoichi of the group received some minor damage, but Hinata determined that it wasn't life threatening.

Upon activating her Byakugan, Hinata singled out Temari and Kankuro as the most dependent on treatment. She signalled Matsuri to treat Temari, as she began to work on Kankuro. Sai and Shino had taken minimal damage in their attempts to flee, and Kurenai's wounds were not life threatening upon closer inspection. Despite their lack of wounds, she could still tell that everyone was suffering from fatigue, and threw a bag of soldier pills at her Jounin-sensei, before returning to the task at hand.

The curvaceous Hyuga didn't get very far into her treatment before she felt a presence that seemed all too familiar to her. And it was closing in _fast_.

"Look out!" The perilous scream came not a second too late as it alerted the others to the ever nearing air assault that had passed through their detection barrier with ease.

"Gatsuga!" The spiralling caste of wind around the 'human' body came as a shock to those of the Konoha squad, knowing all too well who was inside of that vortex. Everyone jumped away at the last second, knowing that a direct hit from that would be the end of them. That is, all but one of them...

It headed straight for Hinata, who hadn't moved an inch since she screamed out. It was only natural that something like this would happen considering what they had discovered in that base, but it was too much for her. Not here, not now. Why did it have to be _him?_ All her strength seemed to dissipate as she looked at the encroaching figure. Even beneath the vortex of wind she could see his distraught face looking at her.

Life seemed to slow down to a murmur. It felt like the longest second she had ever witnessed in her soon to be ended life. From the corner of her eye she could see Shino, Temari, Sai and Kurenai striving with all their might to get to her before _he _did, but it was too late. Her fate was sealed. All that was left to do now was to accept it.

She closed her eyes for the last time. A single tear trickled down her face, glistening on her cheek as the sun shone brighter than it had ever done before through her eye-lids. But the hit never came. She waited, but it never came. Her eyes opened in awe at what, no _who _stood before her. She thought her eyes were deceiving her, until she heard his voice call out to her.

"Sorry I'm late, Hyuga-san." That voice. It wasn't a dream, it was really _him_.

"S-shadow-S-sama..." was all she could muster before she found herself void of energy. Her eyelids were becoming heavy as the searing heat and light dissipated, catching one final glimpse of her saviour. And there _it_ was. Something she _never_ thought she would see again. A Konoha Hitai-ite, glistening clear as day on the figures upper arm...and it rested on red cloth...How? It couldn't be. All this time _he _had been right under her nose.

'_Naruto-kun?'_ was her last thought as she finally succumbed to the darkness. The mental strain of almost dying at the hands of her resurrected former teammate... and now _this, _it was all too much for her. Shino appeared behind him instantly, sweeping the poor girl up in his arms before jumping back into formation behind the rest of the squad.

"What are you doing here?" Kurenai didn't have time for niceties as she was genuinely shocked and confused as to what had just happened.

One second she was watching frantically as her student was about to bested right before her eyes, the next, _he _was stood before her as if appearing out of thin air. He moved so fast her eyes couldn't even register his existence. But the light that enveloped him, she had seen it before. _'No, it's not even possible for someone to know _that_. It must've been something else, it _has_ to have been._' She instantly dismissed it through her own bewildered state, but deep down she knew she had just witnessed the legendary 'yellow flash' that came with the Jutsu used by only one man throughout the history of the Shinobi world, And he had been dead for over eighteen years.

"My mission" Shadow stated never averting his gaze from to the figure in his grasp. He knew that if it was a living person, a slight increase in the pressure of his grip around their neck and that would be the end of it. Unfortunately he was dealing with an Edo Tensei, one that was rather unexpected. "My my, it appears that Kabuto's been busy." The black masked ANBU snarled as he looked past the pale face of one Inuzuka Kiba, into the tree line directly behind him.

"I-I'm sorry...can't...control..." The pale looking Inuzuka tried to speak, but the vice grip around his throat only tightened further as the man holding him heard the attempted apology.

Shadow knew that Kiba would never willingly hurt Hinata, dead or alive. But he was feeling, _anger_. An emotion he thought he had put behind himself a long time ago. It didn't sit well with him knowing how close he had come to breaking the promise he had given to Tsunade. Another second and she would have been dead. The thought of another one of his precious people dying in a war to protect him made his blood boil. Unfortunately for Shadow, he soon realised he had broken his promise to the Godaime Hokage, noticing that the squad stood behind him was a man light._ 'When I find you, I'm going to kill you slowly Kabuto.'_

"Something's coming." Shino uttered as his bugs began to swarm around him, signalling that something was drastically wrong. They told him that there was a presence approaching, but they couldn't find it. The group took up their positions and held their weapons at the ready, but they had no idea what to expect. Shadow tightened his grip around Kiba's neck until he was satisfied he had heard a snapping sound, before launching the carcass into the tree's at high velocity.

"Honestly, I expected better from the _best_ sensor squadron in Konoha," It was only when he turned that the group caught their first glimpse of the notorious Shadow in all his glory.

His long blonde spikes had been quelled by the torrential rain, covering the top section of his unique mask. Despite the mask, he wore the standard attire as any other ANBU operative, complete with the insignia of Konoha's assassin division on his left upper arm. His body armour was smeared in blood that thick that the rain was struggling to wash it clean.

'_I feel sorry for the poor bastard _that_ belonged to.'_ Sai mused as he gave the figure a once thing in particular stood out when he looked at him. Yellowy-orange eyes glistened from behind the pitch black mask with blood red flamed whiskers. The pale skinned shinobi was sure that on the only previous occasion he had laid eyes on this rumoured legend that his eyes were a dull blue, a thought that was bouncing around the minds of the others.

All the rumours they had heard of this fabled assassin over the past two months portrayed him as an emotionless killer. But they could tell just by looking at him that he was angry, an emotional time bomb waiting to explode. He unsheathed his katana as he walked. Each footstep he made towards them made the group more uneasy. The killer intent that exuded from his body was terrifying, yet they could sense that it wasn't aimed at them, but all around them.

"...we're surrounded."

"H-how can you know that?" Sai stammered as he watched the figure continue on his path towards them. His mice had found nothing in their sweep of the area. He knew that his techniques weren't attuned to the level of his teammates Kekkei Genkai, but they were still to the highest standards within the joint-shinobi forces.

"Although the skills of your group are impressive, mine surpass yours in _every way_." Shadow's voice was cold, his tone arrogant, like he was trying to make sure that they hated his guts from the outset. A tactic that was working judging by the looks he was receiving from most of the group. He had no desire to 'play nice' with his fellow shinobi, especially with the emotions currently running through every fibre of his being.

He could feel the anger rising in the group, but knew that the older shinobi had enough restraint to keep their opinions to their selves. It was only when he saw the youngest of the group he noticed that she held no such restraint. But before Matsuri could express her feelings, she was stopped in her tracks by the actions of the ANBU member walking towards her.

The group stood wide eyed at what they had just witnessed. The figure had swung his blade fiercely at the air directly behind him as if he was a mad man. But the noise they heard, it wasn't just the slight whistle one heard when a sharpened blade pierced a hole through still air, he hit _something_. A severed head landed a mere five feet away from where Temari was stood, as a body appeared out of the air behind Shadow. The lack of blood spouting from the neck presented the figure as an Edo Tensei. They watched on as the decapitated body collapsed in a heap as _he_ continued towards them, never averting his gaze or stride.

"Judging by your stares I don't need to repeat myself," he remarked as he picked up the heavily bandaged head, burning it to a crisp with the electrical current that shot from his fingertips before throwing it towards the body it came from.

'_Those eyes, I'm sure I've heard of something like this before'_ Sai thought as he watched the char grilled head begin to restore and reattach itself to the body. The sight really didn't surprise him after what they had uncovered less than an hour ago.

"Oh my Kami, is that who I think it is?!" The agitation in Kurenai's voice and her newfound rigid stance was not received well by the others as they saw Shadow nod his head slightly.

"Indeed. The _Mujin _himself, Nidaime Tsuchikage, Mū."

"Ni...Nidaime T-Tsuchikage?" Shadow's nod to clarify his statement made Matsuri pale at the thought of such a fearsome enemy. It was one thing escaping from a bunch of living breathing Chuunin and Jounin, but an Edo Tensei with the power of a Kage? That was something way above her pay grade. A chuckle from the newly restored Tsuchikage caused the black masked ANBU to turn around to face him, at the head of the formation of _living_ shinobi.

"Impressive, very impressive. Very few people have ever been able to detect my existence in _that_ form. To think that such a shinobi exists in the ranks of Konohagakure's ANBU. I guess being in _this _body has its perks after all." The bandaged figure cracked his neck to signify his head had been fully restored onto his body, letting out a sigh of relief as he flared his chakra as if to signal someone. The ground began to shake, before a web of cracks began to appear before their eyes. In a matter of seconds two fissures appeared from which a number of blurs shot out into the clearing.

'_Twenty...no, thirty. The sooner I kill Kabuto, the better. Think. Think damn it. What do I do? For Kami's sake I really don't want to have to use _that_ in front of this lot, I'll give myself away.' _Shadow pondered for a solution to the new problem that had arrived in the clearing...How to fight full on with almost thirty resurrected souls ranging from Chuunin to Kage in ability, without giving away his true identity to those he used to fight alongside.

"Please don't tell me they are _all _Edo's?" Kankuro sighed, already knowing the answer judging by the fact that he could see a number of people in the crowd he knew before they were killed.

"Not all. The five lingering at the back are living. Not for long if I have anything to say about it." The way he spoke sent shivers down their spines. Each and every one of the Ame and Oto Nin's hiding at the back of the ranks felt as if they were being stabbed repetitively by the pressure of the black masked assassin's killer intent. "To think that there is scum on this earth that sides with a lunatic who wants destroy it. _Pitiful_."

Shino watched on as the five figures he remembered from their earlier chase looked as if they were being afflicted by some external force. Neither he nor his comrades detected any fluctuations in Shadow's chakra output, so he wasn't using any form of Genjutsu they had come across. There was killer intent oozing from his person, but it seemed only slight in comparison to a few minutes ago. But the way that his hives reacted to the pressure told him that he was doing something, he just had no comprehension of what it was.

"S-s-stop, I-I can't t-take anym-more," one of the lower ranked shinobi murmured under shallow breaths, as if he was struggling to breathe. He fell to his knees, gripping his throat tightly as if trying to remove something from around it. The Oto shinobi besides him wearing the standard black and white camouflage succumbed to the same pressure shortly after.

"What the fuck are you doing to me? Argh!" The agonising cry of the Kunoichi on the end donning an Ame Hitai-ite confused all those around her, who felt...nothing. The unimaginable pain and suffering being felt by those who were one-by-one falling to their knees remained undetected by both his allies, _and _the platoon of Edo Tensei's stood between the merciless Shadow and his prey.

"_P-please_...*cough**cough* W-we didn't have a c-choice..." The pleading voice came from an Ame shinobi that appeared to be the most skilled. Shadow felt the remorse in the strained voice. He could tell the shinobi was speaking the truth...but he simply didn't care.

The fear painted on the faces of each of the shinobi at what was happening to them peaked suddenly when they heard a calm whisper carried by the wind. All it said was "...no mercy."

It was only when the group heard this that they were alerted to a spike in his chakra output. And what a spike it was. It washed over them like a wave of intense pain, almost corroding away the top layer of their skin as they saw him force so much chakra into his feet that the ground beneath him began to crack. The Edo's instinctively braced themselves for an attack. Even though they knew they couldn't be defeated, they could sure as hell feel pain. Those who were on their knees had no such luxury. The blonde assassin's blade began to glow a dull blue, before he swung it in the direction of all those in his path. This time there was no invisible foe within his reach, he swung at thin air. For a second or two nothing happened. It was only when his allies looked on at the five decapitated bodies kneeling thirty metres away that they found any understanding of what just happened.

'_Wind manipulation to that level? Kami this guy's good. He is at least at the level of Baki-sensei, if not better.' _Temari approved of his abilities due to her own affiliation with the use of the wind. Still, what she had just witnessed wasn't something anyone could morally approve of, even during wartime. Those shinobi weren't just killed on the battlefield, they were brutally executed. Maybe the stories were true. Maybe Shadow's blood ran cold after all.

"And here I thought _we _were the only _monsters_ fighting in this war, un." Deidara smirked as he motioned his head to the mannequin like figure draped in a black cloak with red clouds stood beside him.

"I do what is needed of me to save this Kami forsaken world from the likes of you and your leader. No more, no less."

"Hmph, there's no need for that kind of attitude. I like you. Surrender now and I'll make sure Kabuto doesn't use you in the factory like he will with the others." Sasori shot a glare towards the seven figures behind Shadow simultaneously causing each of them to bear the same memory of their infiltration. Even the unconscious Hyuga in Shino's arms seemed to flinch at the words.

"I'm sorry, I have no idea what you're talking about," Shadow said passively before stabbing his sword into the ground. With one hand he raised his mask slightly off his face, presenting his attackers with a glimpse of the figures lips, and what appeared to be a scar that disappeared underneath the mask. The other hand dived into his trouser pocket before pulling out an item that reflected in his hand.

"Gamayudan!" A stream of an oil based liquid shot out of his mouth in the direction of the Edo Tensei's.

"Come on, you'll have to do better than that, un." Deidara smirked as he and a number of the others stood their ground only to be drenched by the viscous fluid, as others retreated out of reach of the spray. It was only when Shadow raised the metallic item in his hand that the blonde haired Akatsuki member saw his mistake. The spark from the cigarette lighter engulfed the spray in flames that scorched the earth wherever they struck. The heavy rain did little in halting the blaze, as the water merely evaporated as it touched the flames. He knew it wouldn't kill them, but it would sure as hell slow them down. After a minute of continuous flames he shut the lighter and placed it back into his pocket, before retrieving his katana.

"You're just full of surprises aren't you?" Kurenai muttered as she watched him hold up a hand behind him asking for quiet. Their attention was drawn to his ear, where they saw him reach for something before he seemingly began to speak to himself.

"Hey, are you not finished yet? ...yes, yes, I know exactly who they are...yes. Jeez, I understand okay. Listen, we're buggin' out. Leave them to my Bunshin's and rendezvous at location bravo. Shadow out." Temari swore that she could hear him sigh under his mask once the conversation finished. For all his bravado, he just seemed like a restless little kid when he spoke over the headset to his partner.

"I take it that means our escape route is blocked?" Kurenai asked as politely as she could for someone who was just completely ignored by the guy. Hell, she would be happy if she never had to work with the fabled shinobi ever again. For all his strengths in battle, he made up for them with his _many _flaws as a person. _'Definitely like his Senpai,'_ she mused as she thought about the likely recipient of that radio call. She had little to no idea of his real identity, but she knew the way he fought that he had to have been trained by Hatake Kakashi, the man she expected to have been on the other end of that communication judging by their cameo in the hallway outside of the Hokage's office. He turned back to his 'compatriots' showing off his passive lips before fixing his mask to its desired position.

"Indeed. We're gunna have to take a detour, unless of course you want to fight the Kiri no Shinobigatana Shichinin Shū as well as these guys?" They weren't sure what to be more scared of. The thought that his teammate was facing off against the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, that they had to escape from a platoon of Edo Tensei's, or the fact that they heard a chuckle from beneath that blackened mask.

'_Is he seriously enjoying this?' _Temari thought as she tightened her grip on her fan.

"I vote detour," Kankuro smirked as he withdrew a line of scrolls from his back pack. "I take it your partner is the guy you were with last night? Head of Konoha's ANBU if I'm not mistaken." He smirked again knowing that the Hokage had pulled a fast one on them.

"You are correct in your assumptions. But please, put those scrolls away. My mission is to _protect_ you. Any participation on your part would only hinder me, and the success of this mission. Now get ready to run, I'll hold them off."

"What? You're joking right? We're already outnumbered three to one. Surely that's better odds than twenty five to one?" Temari shouted angrily at him.

"Think about it for a second would you. You, Kankuro, and Kurenai are standing simply because of adrenaline and soldier pills. Matsuri isn't a combat type. Shino is looking after Hinata. Sai is the only one physically able to fight." Temari knew he was right, she just couldn't handle the fact that she had been ordered to run from a fight. It wasn't in her nature. "Besides, who said I _need_ the help?" If it wasn't for the mask, they would have seen the grin beaming across his face. The thought of this fight was mouth watering. The _fun _he could have fighting against so many Edo's.

"What the hell is your problem?! We're supposed to be _allies_, yet you speak to us as if we're so far beneath you we're six leagues under." Matsuri was pissed. They all we're. But she was the only one willing to say anything.

He glanced over their seething faces before walking towards them.

"I'm not going to beat around the bush here. _I _have a higher chance of survival on my own rather than trying to fight them whilst babysitting you. I've already failed my mission because one of your team is dead. I _refuse_ to let anymore of you die needlessly for the sake of protecting a _coward _who hides in the shadows." The disparity in his voice from the cool and calculating figure who had belittled them for the last twenty minutes, to the angry self-loathing one that stood before them, openly willing to protect them with his life, shocked them completely.

He stopped about ten feet away. Their puzzled faces alerted him to his apparent slip up. His blood was boiling in the heat of battle. He most definitely didn't mean to say that last part out loud, but it was too late now.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" The confused Temari said as she caught something out of the corner of her eye. But she saw it too late to do anything about it.

"Katsu!" It all happened too fast for anyone to get a good picture of what ensued. The explosion from what appeared to be a clay bird impacted against Shadows side, blowing a crater into the area where he was once stood. Smoke and dust blanketed the area, only presenting the aftermath once it settled.

"Shadow-san!" Kurenai screamed as she saw his lifeless figure sprawled facedown, with blood gushing from his side and forearm. The incessant rain began to dilute the pool of crimson quickly forming beneath him. The guard on his right arm had been completely shattered, as had much of his chest plate. She was sure he would have been dead if it wasn't for his attire. It was only when she began to move closer that she saw the remains of his katana in his hand. Somehow he had managed to deflect the blast at the last second. It may have cost him his weapon and armour, but she was certain it had saved his life.

"Sai, Kankuro, grab him quickly. We've gotta go." Kurenai ordered as she pulled out a kunai, waiting for another attack.

"Don't you dare..." a breathless murmur called out to them in a forceful tone. They watched in awe as the crumpled heap began to pick itself up. He looked a little shaky to say the least, but once he got back to his feet he seemed to find his balance reasonably well.

"Don't be so reckless. You need medical attention. Hell, you need surgery." Matsuri hated the guy's attitude, but her role as a medic was to protect the sanctity of life, regardless of whether or not they were an arsehole.

"You leave, I've got work to do here," the fatigue in his voice showed he was struggling terribly. He was bleeding out, and fast. As he collected himself, what remained of his chest plate simply fell off his body, presenting a gaping wound slightly beneath his ribs. His mesh undershirt was in tatters, so he simply parted company with it, tearing what was left of it from his body much to the inner delight of the female shinobi...not that their concerned looking faces gave away their inner feelings on the matter.

Matsuri knew she had to treat him soon or he would bleed out, but she watched in amazement as he charged electricity into his left palm, and brushed it over the wound. He didn't make a sound as he burned his own body in order to close the wound on his abdomen, before repeating the process on his right arm.

"There, now you can stop worrying." He _joked _as he glanced towards them for the first time. They struggled to believe it at first, but his eyes were a dull blue once again. Sai somehow knew what that meant, but he just couldn't for the life of him find the correct memory to put to the situation.

"Oh, I don't know about that. I'd still say there's quite a lot to worry about, un." The all too familiar voice was followed by a number of small projectiles shooting through the dying flames, aimed directly at the naked back of the somehow still masked figure.

His reaction time was still lagging, as he struggled to turn in time to block or evade the attack. An array of senbon needles shot over his shoulder, piercing the winged bombs as they fell helplessly to the ground. Shadow breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the metallic shards connect with the projectiles headed directly towards him. Only a medical shinobi carried senbon needles.

"Thank you," he gestured towards the young brunette as he looked on as the flames finally subsided under the continuous rainfall. The fully restored figures of the twenty-five Edo Tensei's were all that he expected to see. Unfortunately for him, the delaying tactic had been made null and void by the debate over his attitude towards his fellow shinobi.

Shadow smeared some of the blood off his torso onto his fingertip, before brushing it over one of the seals on his underarm. A new katana appeared from beneath the cloud of smoke that came with the opening of the storage seal. Not only that, but with a single hand he created the set of seals for the 'Mizu Bunshin no Jutsu', creating enough that they eloped around the entire group. The rumours of this man's power paled at what he was like in the flesh. The Konoha/Suna joint force was utterly amazed at his power and array of understanding in the ninja arts.

'_Kami his chakra reserves must be enormous. He's taken an explosion to the torso and he can still create so many Mizu Bunshin's.' _Temari's inner self mused as a slight blush appeared on her cheeks. The guy might have been an ass, but he sure as hell knew how to fight. She liked a man of action, yet peculiarly her heart had chosen the exact opposite in a mate.

"Now, GO!" Shadow screamed as he slid his feet into a defensive stance, holding his katana out in front of him. The rage in his voice and the spike in his chakra urged them to make their escape. It felt..._different_ to before, and it wasn't difficult for Shino's bugs to pick up on it. From that instant it all seemed to click into place. He _finally _understood why he found the guy's chakra so unsettling. However, it was a thought for a much later date, as he forced as much chakra as he could into his feet before jumping away from the clearing along with the rest of his squad.

"Heh, what do you expect to do in that condition? You can barely stand, and _we _are immortal, un." Deidara's infuriated voice spoke out, before forcing his left palm into the pouch of clay on his cloak. Shadow could hear chewing, fully anticipating another volley of his 'pieces of art'.

"You know, for a group of Missing-nin that consists of a walking talking shark, a schizophrenic plant man, a red-headed mannequin, and something put together with scraps from a hospital, _you_ are by far the _freakiest_ motherfucker of the lot. Seriously, mouth hands? And that haircut? You're like the spitting image of a _Kunoichi _I used to know. Not to mention your 'artistic taste'. I hate to break it to you but your partner's puppets are _far _more artistic." Despite his weakened state, both through injury and the limitation of using up his Sennin Mōdo, Shadow felt the need to further piss off the Akatsuki member.

"I'm going to enjoy making you into fertiliser for this field with my _art_!" The borderline psychotic blonde shouted as he thrust his other hand into the second bag of clay.

"You, go after them. We cannot allow them to report back to the shinobi villages." The so-called 'red-headed mannequin' seemed to be rather unfazed by the taunt, motioning fifteen Edo's on his right to break away.

As they moved, Shadow noticed Kiba within the group, as well as Asuma, Kotetsu, Elder Chiyo, and Kimimaro. The indifferent looks on their faces showed that they were being controlled, corrupted into doing the bidding of a hidden foe. One that infuriated the black masked ANBU even more than Uchiha Madara.

"**You speak as if you have already defeated me."** Each of his Mizu Bunshin's spoke in unison as they began to rifle through a number of hand seals at speeds even an Uchiha couldn't keep up with. **"Fūton: Shinkūgyoku!"** A blanket of air bullets shot out from the clones, decimating everything in a seventy metre radius.

Through the mesh of fallen trees, the un-dead shinobi once again began to respawn as if nothing had happened. _'Kami, why oh why did you allow such a monstrous thing to be created?' _Shadow mused as he tried to decide whether he was alluding to the resurrected souls in indestructible bodies heading towards him at break-neck speeds, or the very thing that was stood thinking about it.

The wry smile that appeared on his face gave him the answer he was looking for. "Bring it," was all he said as charged head on into the crowd, his blade directly in front of him with his Mizu Bunshin's in close formation behind.

* * *

What sounded like explosions could be heard in the distance, but the group had no desire to investigate. He had ordered them to complete the mission by getting their findings back to Konoha, and by Kami were they going to do that. They _had _to. Failure wasn't an option.

Another ten minutes past, and the ringing of explosions around the forest were finally being silenced by the torrential rain and bustling winds. They figured they were only an hour or so away from Konoha's borders, a thought that meant they would be free of the constant threat of death, at least until they reported their findings to the Hokage. Something told them that her reaction wouldn't be a very restrained one.

They sifted through the tree tops in a standard linear formation. Sai took up the head of the group, as Temari took up the rear. Shino acted as the central figure as he was carrying his female teammate, who was still deep in slumber.

"We are going to have to get out of this rain soon or Hinata-san will become hypothermic." Shino could feel she was cold to the touch, and fidgeting in his arms in discomfort. The whole group was sodden to their bones with the rain, but they were able to at least keep warm through their movement.

"Here, this should help, at least a little anyway." Sai pulled out a scroll as he jumped through the tree tops, roughly sketching a bat like figure with the brush before it flew off the page, and clamped itself onto the Aburame's shoulder. It acted as an umbrella that at least kept the rain from falling on her even further.

"I can treat her if we slow down..." Matsuri inputted as she followed behind Shino only to be silenced instantly.

"It's too risky. We can't stop until we're back in Konoha." Shino and Sai didn't like the thought of holding off on treating their teammate, even if the remark did come from their squad captain. Unfortunately they knew it was the best course of action.

"Well, whatever. She had best wake up soon, because I don't want to be the one to explain to Shadow-san that Hinata is in hospital when he gets back to Konoha." The group paled at Kankuro's words, knowing the way he looked at her when she was unconscious in Shino's arms.

"Agreed," they replied in unison at the thought of what he might do to them.

'_I guess there is a shred of humanity beneath that Kami forsaken mask.' _Kurenai remembered those orange eyes that glared at the poor Hyuga as she lay limp in Shino's arms. A maelstrom of pain, hatred, lust, hunger, hurt oozed from them. She almost felt sympathetic towards the masked man, whose attitude was clearly just a way of manifesting his own inner turmoil. Still, she had been right to say what she did to her pupil. The man beneath the mask was a monster, a ruthless killer. She was just thankful that Hinata was unconscious and didn't have to witness it.

"I wouldn't worry about that. Knowing him he will probably just blame himself anyway." Sai almost missed his step when he landed on the next branch as he was caught off guard by the new voice. And he wasn't the only one.

"I was wondering when you would arrive, Wolf-sama." Kurenai seemed to be the only one who wasn't flummoxed by his ability to sneak up on them like that. What did they expect? He wasn't the commander of the ANBU forces just because of his good looks. She watched as he landed besides her, matching their current speed instantly. She saw how beat-up he looked. Still, she didn't expect having to fight against seven of the most renowned swordsmen of their era would be a menial task. She half expected him to be missing an arm, at least.

"You know me and my timekeeping abilities," he sighed slightly as he spoke. Shino picked up on the slight familiarity between the ANBU operative and his Jounin-sensei, but it wasn't his place to comment on it. The light heartedness didn't last long though. "You're short two men." She grimaced as she knew he wanted an explanation as to why his partner wasn't with them.

"Shadow-san stayed behind in order to allow us time to escape. He was in fairly bad condition when we left..." Kurenai trailed off as she thought about the shirtless figure. For all she knew he could be dead by now, having sacrificed his life for the good of the ninja world. It confused her how someone so noble and loyal could have become so twisted.

"Define 'fairly bad'." The Wolf masked ANBU pressed as he looked at her vacant expression.

"He had taken one of Deidara's explosives to his side, bleeding heavily from wounds to both his abdomen and his right forearm. That is, until he used a Raiton Jutsu to seal the wounds himself. He faced off against twenty-five Edo Tensei's, of which Sasori, Deidara, and the Nidaime Tsuchikage were all present, along with a handful of other Konoha shinobi, including Kiba...and Asuma. I have no idea if he's still alive..."

"What?" The wolf masked ANBU's monotone voice almost seemed to show a little emotion.

"I said I have no idea if he's still alive."

"Oh, no, don't worry about him. It will take more than a few Edo's to bring him down, regardless of who they are." He paused as she looked at him in a puzzled manner.

"Seriously? How can you be so confident? You didn't see the shape he was in when he ordered us to make a break for it." Kankuro butted into the conversation. It wasn't as if it was private, but he could tell Kurenai didn't take kindly to his intrusion.

"Because he is the only person in the shinobi world stubborn enough to survive something as one sided as what you described. If I didn't know him any better, he probably allowed himself to get injured just to make it more interesting. He really enjoys fighting Edo's, because he can kill them over and over and they just keep coming back for more." That remark honestly didn't surprise any of them. Most of them believed he was bordering on psychotic, with a side of insanity.

"Come on now, there isn't _anyone_ more stubborn than Naruto." Temari joked as she moved closer to the centre of the group to try and listen in to the conversation.

"Oh, you'd be surprised. Compared to Shadow-san, Naruto is almost compliant." Wolf shared in the humour. He loved the fact that no one else knew Shadow's _true _identity. He was certain there would be a good few shocked faces on the day that bombshell drops. Temari and Kankuro looked on as they honestly didn't expect the ANBU to know who Naruto was. It was only when they examined him closer, they realised who was beneath the mask.

"No, What I meant to say earlier was, why are there so many Edo's? Hell, I just spent half an hour fighting with Momochi Zabuza and his _friends_. Just what did you discover in there?" He visibly saw each of their hearts sink as they remembered what they had stumbled upon in their mission.

"I'll tell you when I debrief Hokage-sama. No doubt you will be participating in the debriefing considering _your_ own mission. It's a good job she sent you two otherwise we would all be fodder for their new _factory_." Wolf watched as her eyes began to well up. If anything he thought that she had been traumatised by something. He hadn't seen her in this shape since...

One word stuck out like a searing white-hot poker. There were very few things in life that surprised, or even scared Hatake Kakashi, but the thoughts that were running wild in his mind at that moment were scaring him more than anything. "You _will _brief me _now_. That's an _order_."

"I-I, I can't. I'm sorry Wolf-sama." Her teary eyes looked pleadingly into his only visible one, searching for that shred of compassion she knew was in there. "_Please_...don't make me do this twice."

Wolf watched on as he saw that she was on the verge of breaking, much like her female student appeared to have done already. She just looked so...vulnerable. He hated it when she was like this. The rose coloured eyes of the female shinobi watched on as she heard the elongated sigh that came from beneath the mask, much to her relief.

"You always knew how to push my buttons, _Kurenai_." The way he said her name gave her tingles all over. She had almost forgotten what it felt like. The tension in her shoulders seemed to ease slightly now that she knew she wasn't under pressure to comply with his demands. However, the interests of all those around her were peaked by the interaction between the two.

"Why do women always have _that_ ability to manipulate men so easily?" Sai murmured to himself, to which Kankuro laughed in agreement...

"What's so _funny_?" The glare they received from Matsuri, Kurenai and Temari almost made them wish that Shadow hadn't of rescued them.

"Eh, err-nothing, nothing at all. Just that we're coming up to the border, _that's all_." The 'war-paint' on his face seemingly began to run due to the heat radiating from his blushing cheeks. The glares seemed to lessen, if only slightly. _'I think I've gotten away with that'_ he thought as he blew a sigh of relief.

He was right though. They were approaching the grassy plane that separated the two forest regions, where the rained seemed to subside as if walking through a door. For the first time they felt the sun on their faces as they scurried across the uninhabited grassland. It was like utter bliss for the figures. They were so close to home, and they could finally get away from that Kami forsaken rain.

* * *

A desolate wasteland with only _one _living thing existing within its boundaries; _that_ is the only way an onlooker could have described what was left of the so-called 'floodplain' area that briefly acted as a refuge for a squad of allied shinobi. There wasn't much of anything left in view for that fact, aside from the clashing of figures spread across the two kilometre wide crater.

"Why won't you just die already?!" The blonde haired Akatsuki member screamed at his foe.

He was still standing, after _everything _that had been thrown at him. Deidara had even used his 'ultimate' technique in order to end it, but to no avail. He had simply flickered out of existence, and then reappeared once the blast had dispersed into nothingness. He remained thankful that his own body couldn't die from his suicidal masterpiece. He had even fought off Sasori's 'Akahigi: Hyakki no Sōen', defeating all one hundred of his puppets, _without _the use of any of his Bunshin's. The way he moved...it just wasn't human. He had never witnessed speed and agility like it. But that wasn't even what amazed him. Some of Sasori's attacks had actually hit him.

By rights he should have been afflicted by the poison, unable to move, but he still stood in the centre of the clearing, free of fatigue or illness. Blood dripped off his naked torso, filled with gashes and burns, but still he remained. His orange eyes bore into the hollow shell, empty of what could be described as a 'soul', filled entirely with darkness.

"You cannot kill me, because I do not exist. I am not a man; I am just a _shadow_ cast over the shinobi world with one purpose..." The Akatsuki member stopped in his tracks as he watched the aura suddenly change around said 'shadow'. Swirls of chakra began spiralling around him. The pressure was soul crushing. In an instant all of the Mizu Bunshin's dispelled as if they had become unstable, simply reverting back to water.

"What is your purpose?" His red-headed partner spoke up for the first time, as he had grown impatient of watching on from the sidelines. It didn't take long, but Shadow was surrounded, with no means of escape.

Still, the Edo's were growing wary of the 'man'. He had fought tirelessly for thirty minutes. Only a handful of his Mizu Bunshin's had been able to be defeated, until they had been caught up in Deidara's 'C0' technique. Even then he still had the energy to create more. The thought that a single clone held only ten percent of the user's strength put their implanted minds into a maelstrom of uncertainties. If their bodies weren't indestructible, most of them wouldn't have lasted the first ten seconds against his continual onslaught of techniques that vast one person shouldn't be able to know them all, at least not without the use of the Sharingan.

They watched as the chakra swirling around them became brighter and brighter still. First, there were strands of blue, then green, then gold. Each strand grew around his body, as if reaching out further and further into the air itself, spreading like some form of virus. The Edo's grew apprehensive, backing away inch by inch as the aura seemed to move closer to them. All the time it was happening, the figure had his eyes closed.

"I don't like to repeat myself. What is your purpose?" Sasori was irked, not only by the man's arrogance, but by this power that was unknown to him. Like all men, he feared the unknown.

They watched as the chakra suddenly shot back into the figure at such force it almost sucked them in with it. It flowed into each and every pore of his visible skin as if it was trying to take him over cell by cell. In an instant there was silence. The wind subsided, the heavens dried up. The figure let out a breath the Edo's weren't aware he had been holding.

"My purpose is... peace." They watched as the figures eyes _shot_ open. In that instant they saw... nothing.

His eyes were black as the night, so much so you couldn't distinguish between his eyes and the menacing mask that covered his face. It was like they could see that he was an empty shell, just like them.

Suddenly, an arm shot out and grabbed Deidara's throat. The life was being choked out of him, even though there was no life to choke. He watched helplessly as he was lifted off his feet by the man's brute strength, bringing him closer to the masked man's eyes. The darkness grew larger and larger, possessing more and more of his vision until all he could see was a vast sea of nothingness.

The blonde found himself alone, unable to move, unable to see anything aside from the abyss he appeared to be suspended in. Searing pain, excruciating agony plagued him in an instant. Shards of glass dug into every inch of his body, burrowing deeper and deeper into his skin until they worked their way into his blood stream. All he could do was scream out in agony.

"Argh! W-what the hell are you doing to me?!" Deidara tried to fight it, but he was powerless.

"Surely you recognise this, _Deidara_." His eyes shot open at _that_ voice. It couldn't be, surely not. Then he saw it. The darkness..._fluttered_ away, converging onto a single point leaving a crimson sky and a field of crucifixes with dozens of himself suspended upon them. "Yes, now you remember my _Tsukuyomi_. Welcome back to _my _world."

The voice echoed around him as the darkness finally took its shape in front of him. It walked towards him. The face was the last thing to converge, much to the despair of the former Kumo shinobi.

"I-I, this is impossible. Please, _please_ Itachi, don't do this to me." The blonde struggled desperately, trying to escape from the inner world of torture he had vowed to never see again.

"For the next seventy-two hours, _you're mine._" His face had reformed from the darkness. _Those _eyes, _those _dreaded Sharingan flared as Deidara could only scream as Uchiha Itachi stabbed his glistening blade into his abdomen.

Shadow watched on from the clearing as each and every one of those who surrounded him fell to their knees. Their minds were plagued with their own worst nightmares, the most excruciating pain they could possibly imagine. They grasped at their throats in a vain attempt to release the grip of their assailant, but to no avail.

To be perfectly honest, Shadow was amazed it had actually worked. He had only ever used his original Genjutsu on the _living_. This worked as proof to him that there actually were the real souls of the dead manifesting themselves inside those indestructible bodies. This eliminated any reservations he had about the technique, and gave him further ammunition to find a counter-seal for the one used by Kabuto to create and control them. Despite their inability to control their actions, or their simple compliance with orders in some cases, they were to an extent _living_.

Regardless, it gave him the time he needed to escape. He had put all of his Sennin Modo into his 'Senpō: Iki Jigoku no Jutsu', so that it would keep them under his Genjutsu for at least twenty minutes, allowing him to mask his escape.

He would have loved to continue with his _fun_, but even he had limits, as did the Kyubi. He had lost a significant amount of blood, and had expended far too much of his chakra as well as his prisoners. He had been using its chakra to nullify Sasori's poisons, but he had taken in too much. He had to get back to Konoha soon, or he really would die.

He was just thankful that he kept a spare Kage Bunshin within one of his storage seals at all times. The limit of his Sennin Modo had been extended from minutes to hours over the years, even when using a whole host of A and S ranked ninjutsu. It was always handy to keep a preserved Bunshin fully immersed in Sennin Modo in case he ever needed it. Unfortunately for him, he had already used it following Deidara's sneak attack.

'_Note to self; next time create two of them.'_ He laughed before almost losing his footing, using a tree stump to hold himself up as he began to cough up blood. His naked torso was dripping in blood, and his insides were burning. _'The poison is spreading. I've gotta get back to Konoha soon, or else...' _He waited momentarily for the coughing to pass, before shooting off at a speed he knew he couldn't sustain for long. Judging by the scenery he was only an hour or so from the border, but Shadow honestly didn't know if his body could hold out for that long.

* * *

**Author note**: So there you have it. Thank you for reading, and I don't blame you if you want to have a go at me for making you wait so long. I have no excuse other than that I lost my hunger to write. I hope you guys think it's a better read than I do. Not too happy with the result, but it's my first chapter in 6 months so I guess it could've been worse.

Reviews and advice are always welcome, especially with this chapter.

Okay, 2 things to note:

**1,** as far as I know **'Senpō: Iki Jigoku no Jutsu'** is an original technique I created, unless someone tells me otherwise. It means 'Sage Art: Living Hell technique'... at least that's what I want it to mean. It was used twice in the chapter, the first against the Oto and Ame Nin's, the second in the final passages...just in case anyone was thinking 'wtf is that entire section with all the Sith mind powers all about'.

The technique itself is a continuation of something I highlighted in Chapter 2 during Shadow's use of his summoning to infiltrate the Oto fortress. There, his Sage mode was so attuned that he could basically read the information out of his summonings mind. This Genjutsu is an advanced form of this. He can use their chakra to see into the minds of those who he casts the technique on, allowing him to see their worst nightmares. He can then manipulate their minds, in essence making their nightmares a reality. The example I used was Deidara being trapped in Itachi's _Tsukuyomi_. Although the pain isn't physical, it _feels_ real to them, which is why the Ame and Oto Nin's were clutching at their throats, as it felt as if they were truly being strangled. While the Technique is still cast on them, their bodies will feel completely paralysed, all they can do is speak...well, scream mostly.

**2,** I got so far into this that I wrote almost 15000 words for this chapter, so I cut it off here and moved the rest into the next chapter, so you shouldn't have to wait so long for the next one.

Oh, and also...Chapter 9 of A Hero's Return is near completion, so watch out for it.

That's all folks. Thanks again for reading, and I hope you look forward to the next one.


	5. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer**: Naruto is not my creation, Masashi Kishimoto owns that shit.

I've copied the update on my profile onto this chapter just so everyone can see it if you haven't already. If you're not interested then just scroll down to the chapter. Thanks.

******Author Note 08/10/2012: **Yo. I haven't been on here in a long time. I can only apologise enough to those who have ventured to this part of the interweb to read my shockingly bad stories. I'd love to give you some gratifying excuse, like I was ill for a year or had no computer or whatever, but I basically had to cut some things out of my life, and unfortunately this was one of those things. You don't really how life sucking and soul-destroying University is until you are thick in the middle of it. But, that part of my life is now behind me.

I'm now a History Graduate from the University of Manchester (England), and searching for employment (though, I'm too lazy so it's not a very stressful situation which isn't so bad). My last year of uni was hectic as hell, writing a dissertation, final exams, graduation etc...It's only like three months on from actually leaving that I feel like actually getting a pen in my hand again and trying to do some creative writing. If I never had to open a word document again it would be too soon. Yet, I had almost forgotten how much I enjoyed doing this.

**Okay, now the important stuff you want to know about**. I've just finished chapter 4 of 'Shadow' (this), with 5 about 40% complete. It's a bit crappy considering it's the first thing I've written in the past year that isn't a research essay/dissertation/thesis, but I think I'm getting there...whatever 'there' is, I'm not quite sure, but if I can improve on the chapters I wrote when I was younger, then I'll be happy. Once I get into the groove of it I actually have a relatively long plan laid out, giving me at least another 7-10 chapters, so provided I can get in gear and write, you won't be waiting months at a time. Hopefully.

I hate to say it but I've all but given up on 'A Hero's Return'. I may come back to it at some point in the future, but I honestly feel that there is very little I can do with it...When I started writing it over three years ago, Naruto was only at the Kage Summit Arc...the story has progressed so much since then that I feel stuck for direction to take 'AHR' towards. Anything I can think about writing seems to overlap with the canon anyway...which some of my _LOVELY '_reviewers' kindly noted that I had a tendency to do in the chapters I've already written. Still, I think when I'm a little more capable of handling such a work that I'll be able to complete it.

New stories could appear in the near future. If I do struggle with my continuation of Shadow, I do have other ideas lined up for stories; not just Naruto, but Bleach, Star Wars, Stargate, Deus Ex, and One Piece. Some of which I have crossovers for. I've even written a NarutoXStargate prologue, but it needs a hell of a lot of work before I consider publishing it. I've also got a BleachXA Hero's Return crossover lined up...but that is dependent on SO many things...I.e. continuing/finishing the story, and killing off more than just Sakura.

Any queries just let me know through PM. Ciao.

* * *

Chapter 4: Unmasked

Hatake Kakashi, ANBU Commander, right-hand man to the Godaime Hokage, and Sensei to the most infamous shinobi since the 'Yellow Flash' himself, grimaced as he felt something he really didn't want to endure again in his lifetime. It lasted but a second, yet he felt the unease in the air that could have only come from one thing in existence. _'He's using _that_ jutsu? Kami, he must be near his limit if I could feel its pressure from so far away.' _

It didn't surprise him. About fifteen minutes earlier he had seen the trademark glow of Deidara's 'suicide' technique lighting up the horizon. At least he knew now that his comrade hadn't been caught up in the blast. Not that he thought that he could actually be caught by such a technique, considering what he had seen him do earlier. It was something that left the ANBU Commander both shocked and mesmerised by his former pupil.

**Flashback**

"How far away are we?"

"Ten minutes." A nonchalant voice replied to the figure keeping in his shadow as they leapt from one tree to the next.

"Cutting it a little thin don't you think? won't be able to get there in time if they're in trouble." A hint of discomfort crept into the tone of the elder man as he glanced to his subordinate.

"Yeah well, if _someone _hadn't been so lax about border patrols we wouldn't be so far behind." A tinge of annoyance crept into the younger voice, as he noted the thick blood caped across his chest-plate. Even the rain of Amegakure was struggling to clean it, causing an audible sigh to reign out from beneath his mask.

"Besides, Tsunade said we are to only make our presence known _if_ they are in trouble. I'm teetering on the edge of the Hyuga's range. If I get too close it'll tip her off." The younger replied as he shared a quick glance with his superior, before averting his orange tinted orbs towards said Hyuga's direction.

"You know you can address her by her name you know. 'The Hyuga' seems so distant." He snickered slightly beneath his Wolf mask as those yellow-orange eyes glared back at him from behind that Kami-forsaken black mask. He couldn't even remember what he had been drinking when he thought up that mask design. It truly was a menacing sight.

"Baka," the black masked ANBU retorted before he felt a sudden wave of killer intent. It had completely evaded his Sennin Modo, creeping up on them from all directions. "Hit the deck!" The ANBU member screamed at his teammate, diving from the canopy and narrowly avoiding a rather nostalgic shard of steel.

"What the..." Kakashi was unable to finish his stunned utterance before he felt a presence behind him mimicking his action. When he turned he thought he was looking in some form of distorted mirror. An armour plated chest, ANBU mask, and a wealth of silver locks richer than his own. It was just like looking at a taller, slimmer version of his self. It was only when a gust of wind blew the hair from the top of the mask he saw the mark of Kiri's 'Hunter-Nin' division. "...Shit," was all he could muster before he felt cold steel piercing his flesh...

Kakashi reappeared some thirty metres from the momentarily startled shinobi, who was trying desperately to pull his long-sword from the log that had replaced the ANBU leader upon his command.

"I take it you know that guy." Shadow stated more than asked as he shunshin'd behind his commander, blade at the ready for anything that came at them.

"Unfortunately, yes. He makes _my_ ANBU record look like a joke. But more importantly, Kuriarare Kushimaru died in battle eight years ago."

"...Kuriarare Kushimaru? As in _the_ Kuriarare Kushimaru, former member of the Kiri no Shinobigatana Shichinin Shū, and commander of Kirigakure's Hunter-Nins?" Kakashi caught the slightly startled eyes of his teammate, but the nod he gave him to signify his assumptions merely caused him to blink in reply. The ANBU commander knew that Shadow was smirking gleefully underneath his black mask.

"It's not every day you get to meet a legend of the killing trade. I'm honoured." Shadow smirked as he watched the masked shinobi walk closer to the pair.

"It seems Kabuto has been busy." Kakashi griped as he saw five other faces skulk out from the shadows, effectively surrounding them. He scrutinized each face diligently, remembering their features from the Bingo Book. Each and every one of them was a member of Kiri's most infamous group. Shadow caught his commander glancing across the forest almost aimlessly.

"Lost something, Senpai?" Shadow joked as he heard the elder shinobi groan at the jibe.

"One of them is missing, but I _know _that _he's _here." Finally Kakashi pulled out his blade with one hand and adjusted his mask with the other so that the hidden blood-red orb was fully in view. He knew that Momochi Zabuza's blade had almost taken his head off before, but the man himself was nowhere to be seen.

Both ANBU were alerted to the changing air currents around them as they skidded away from their stationary position. They turned fast enough to see their after image get cut away by the over-sized blade.

"Hmph, looks like you've gotten better since the last time we met, Hatake." The deep voice of their old adversary bellowed out through the sodden forest.

"Maybe you've just gotten slower in death, Momochi." Kakashi taunted as he dug his heels into the ground with his defensive stance. Seven on two. _The _Seven Shinobi Swordsmen of the Mist against the _living _legends of Konoha's ANBU. He knew that he and his counterpart were good, but were they that good?

"How about we even this up a bit? As much as I love fighting against the odds, you're only going to slow us down." With that the black masked shinobi crossed his fingers initiating his standard technique, surrounding himself with five Kage Bunshin's infused with Sennin Modo.

To the far left of the duo a stout 'man' with facial features resembling that of a shark began laughing heavily at what he considered to be a display of utter stupidity. "You think a mere Kage Bunshin will be enough to kee..." The shark-like man was cast away into the tree line by the chakra filled elbow to the cranium by one of the 'mere Kage Bunshin's'.

"I don't think I've ever seen a clone have such power. Maybe this won't be as one-sided as I thought." Zabuza smirked as he rested his blade on his shoulder, waiting for Fuguki to return to the fray. "You're like the little brat from back then. From what I remember he seemed to effortlessly flaunt that same forbidden technique too."

Shadow tilted his head towards Zabuza. "Sorry, I have no idea what you're talking about." With that his clones dispersed, taking on five of the shinobi directly, leaving only Zabuza and Kushimaru. "I'll let you handle the 'demon of the mist', Senpai."

"Gee, thanks." Kakashi moaned ungratefully as his eyes caught Shadow's chakra suddenly surge.

"Shit!" Shadow screamed as felt the sudden rise in anxiety in Hyuga Hinata's system. He flew through hand seals fast enough that Kakashi's Sharingan struggled to keep up.

'_These seals, no it can't be.' _Before Kakashi could interject, a flash of intense yellow light blanketed the area . When it cleared, it appeared as if nothing had happened. The blonde haired ANBU member remained in his defensive stance...

"Boss said that he's sorry, but something came up." The clone scratched the back of its head as the disbelieving look in Kakashi's eyes never left.

"And here's me thinking the Yondaime was dead, Hatake." Momochi Zabuza smirked as he pulled down his blade, and charged the pair of masked shinobi.

"Yeah, me too." Kakashi muttered as he met the over-sized cleaver with equal force.

**End Flashback**

He really did need to sit down with Shadow and discuss this with a strong bottle of Sake. Kakashi truly thought that the Hiraishin was a once in a millennia technique. He couldn't believe his eyes when he saw a second person use it. Of course, if there was one person in the world who was capable of unlocking the secrets of the Yondaime, then it would be Shadow. He just couldn't believe that Shadow had never told him that he could use it. The masked man was taken from his thoughts as he caught something moving in the tree line on the other side of the clearing.

"Halt!" A commanding screech reverberated over the clearing.

Four blurs shot out from the rapidly approaching tree line. For once the squad didn't feel the need to raise their defences as they slowed down to walking pace, before stopping directly in front of the four masked figures donning standard ANBU attire. After the discovery of the White-Zetsu clones ability to mimic people's identity, it had become protocol for anyone entering the Land of Fire to be processed at the border.

"Leader-sama," The figure at the forefront nodded respectfully to the silver-haired leader of ANBU, who simply shifted his mask, presenting her with all the evidence she needed to know he was the real deal. The henge'd versions of the clones were capable of copying everything about a shinobi aside from one thing, Kekkei Genkai's. She bowed again to her commanding officer as she watched him fix his mask to its original position.

"Send on a messenger bird to prepare for our arrival. I need Sakura's medical unit to meet us at the main gates. Some are in a lot worse shape than others." Wolf glanced over to the distraught looking Hyuga. "Send word to the barracks. I want the Western border defences _tripled_. Also, I want a medical unit to go with them." She listened to his orders without reserve.

"Hai, Leader-sama." She replied and bowed to Wolf, before turning away and making some form of signal to one of her subordinates. The figure shunshined away from the field as the squad leader turned back to the ragged looking squad. "Is there anything I need to know?" She questioned as his single eye bore into her very soul.

"It's just a precaution. Be on your guard at all times." The ANBU squad nodded in unison before the two behind the leader shunshined away, presumably back to their posts. She seemed a little hesitant, which almost caught Wolf by surprise. Her whole demeanour seemed to change as she looked up to him. She suddenly seemed extremely anxious.

"Is there something else on your mind Raven-san?"

"H-hai, Leader-sama," said 'Raven' admired the floor momentarily before regaining her composure to speak again. "I-is Shadow-sama okay?" Obviously she had picked up on the fact he wasn't there but didn't want to jump to any conclusions. Like so many of the female ANBU, she had a soft spot for the particular member in question. Her shy and concerned attitude made Kakashi smile slyly beneath his mask.

"Oh, you know what he's like. I expect he will probably swing by here in the next hour-or-so." Wolf chuckled slightly, watching as his words put her at ease.

Raven nodded enthusiastically before disappearing as if she was some sort of mirage. It really did amaze him that so many of his division had a thing for the guy. Then again, he thought about the type of people who existed within his ranks; killers, assassins, people with a similar outlook on life to the fabled shinobi. It made sense that in their position his inequalities as a human being would be outweighed by his abilities as a 'true' shinobi.

"What the hell was that?" The young brunette questioned as they fell back into formation upon their continued journey back to Konoha.

"Come on now, you're no different Matsuri-chan. Even you have a soft spot for the dark and broody type." Kankuro nudged her suggestively, only to receive a slap in return that sent him hurtling towards a tree. The angry blush from his future sister-in-law made the pain worth it. It even received a giggle from Temari and Kurenai. Matsuri's feelings for the Kazekage were almost as painstakingly obvious as Hinata's for Konoha's very own _hero_.

Kankuro's remark sparked a well of jokes from the Sabaku no siblings directed at her. Team Kurenai and the ANBU commander seemed to find them amusing, even the ever stoic Aburame, who always kept one eye on his defenceless teammate who rested in his arms, laughed once or twice. But eventually the laughter seemed to dissipate into inaudible background noise to the figure at the forefront of the group.

It was amazing to think that some people could still find time to make jokes with all that was going on in the world, but it was a very crucial part of what it meant to survive. Even if it was just for that second, laughing at that joke made them forget about the horror that they had unearthed only a few hours ago. It made them forget, at least momentarily, that they had lost a teammate and a good friend. If it wasn't for the little things, it would be near impossible for people to survive, unless of course they turned into an army of alcoholics, a vice he knew many shinobi picked up as a 'coping agent'.

Sai thought on about this as they travelled swiftly over the dirt road en route to Konoha. It had only been when he joined Kakashi and Tenzou's team that he had begun to understand what feelings and emotions actually were, aside from simply knowing their text-book definitions. A part of him wished that he hadn't been able to unlock such emotions, but an even bigger part knew that they were a part of what it meant to be 'human'. He didn't want to be some automaton without emotion that lived behind a mask, which is why he no longer bore his own. Okay, at times he felt pain and torment, and sadness, but it was better than the nothingness of his life before meeting Naruto, Sakura, Kakashi, and Tenzou.

He looked on at his former Sensei, who appeared to have a much gentler side to what was the norm in the ANBU fold. One of the first things he was taught during his time in Danzo's 'Root' division was the identity of the ANBU Commander. It didn't take a genius to work it out. I mean, how many other Konoha shinobi had silvery-gray hair and only one eye...well one eye for show at least anyway. But he thought on about the other ANBU they had met on this mission. He was sure that he had shown a well of emotions, just not the ones healthy to a human being. There was no doubt in Sai's mind that he was suffering, and he used that ruthlessly in combat. He could only wonder why he had taken such a fondness to Hinata when he seemed so cold with everyone else. And those eyes; where had he seen those eyes...

* * *

Shino had picked up his pace drastically from the moment he saw Konoha's main gate, and the entourage that was waiting for them. A squad of ANBU manned the gate, accompanying the usual gate guards. A further squad of medical shinobi stood waiting along with an array of stretchers and equipment. They had no idea what to expect judging from the carrier bird they received.

The pink haired woman at the head of her team signalled the on-rushing Aburame towards her, as she noticed the limp figure resting in his arms. It was only when he had slowed down she noticed the dark-blue hair of his teammate.

"Get a stretcher ready. What happened to her, Shino-kun?" Haruno Sakura asked inquisitively as she placed her hand on the girl's forehead. Her clothes were damp and she was shivering constantly. She and Hinata had never really seen eye-to-eye since the incident that led to the collapse of Team Seven, but her job took precedence over any personal quarrels.

"She collapsed about two hours ago and hasn't regained consciousness. I fear she is contracting hypothermia." She nodded hearing what he had to say.

"Agreed, we need to get her to the hospital, stat." She turned to allow the stretcher bearers to do their job, as Shino placed Hinata delicately onto the metallic table, before they shunshin'd away. "What caused her to collapse like that?"

"The details are pertinent to the mission, and are therefore, _classified_. However, my best guess would be some form of mental stress or fatigue." Sakura knew it wasn't uncommon for someone to suffer from a trauma in this way. That in itself wasn't an issue. She was soaked to the bone. That was the most worrying aspect of her condition. Sakura could only assume they had been on a mission inside of Ame as the group were just as damp as her. She began to check over Shino before he stopped her.

"Aside from fatigue I am in good physical condition. If you don't mind I'd like to be with Hinata." She merely nodded in compliance at her former classmate. As stubborn as he was, Sakura knew he would never let her treat him until everyone else had been.

She watched as the others moved to within walking distance. Kami, they looked as if they'd just stepped off the front line. Judging by Shino she hadn't expected a great deal. Aside from her former teammate, who simply looked to be suffering from fatigue, everyone else was covered in gashes...some a lot worse than others. Sai smiled at his former teammate before walking past her, knowing she would have no need to treat him.

"Sorry, we have to debrief the Hokage immediately," the ANBU she knew as her Jounin-sensei and Yuhi Kurenai shunshin'd away, leaving the remains of the Suna squad, who arguably were in the worst condition.

"You guys look like hell," She stated simply as she began to check-up on Kankuro, as she ushered her assistants to look at Matsuri and Temari. "W-where's Kouhei?" She asked only to receive grave looks and shaken heads in return. "...I'm so, so sorry.

"Come on, it'll be easier to treat you at the hospital." The three nodded in compliance as the group disappeared, leaving behind the squad of ANBU. When he had received the messenger bird from the border patrol, acting HQ commander Morino Ibiki ordered further squads to be placed around the village until everything had died down.

The heightened presence of the ANBU around the village bred a sense of panic among the inhabitants of the village, having been at a relatively low military standing for several months. It caused the streets to filter fairly quickly, leaving Konoha extremely quiet for early afternoon.

Panic. That was the best way to describe the situation at the Hokage tower as Yuhi Kurenai and Wolf stepped into the foyer. They watched as advisors and Chuunin alike scurried from office to office, carrying reams of folders and stacks of scrolls. The female receptionist behind the counter lifted her head from the pile of papers on her desk, only for half of them to stay stuck to her face. After wrestling with them momentarily she blew a strand of hair from her face and pointed to the stairs.

"The Hokage is waiting for you, Wolf-san." He didn't like the sound of her tone. The pair nodded curiously before pacing their way up the many flights of stairs to Senju Tsunade's office.

"I haven't seen the place this busy in a long time," Kurenai mused as she watched the worker ants carry about their duties on the top floor of the building.

"Well it better be for a Kami-damned good reason or Hokage-sama is gunna kick your ass, Kakashi." The duo looked over their shoulders to see one Nara Shikaku coming out of another office on the same floor as the Hokage's. He walked with a limp, aided by a walking stick to combat the motion inhibiting prosthetic leg. "Then when she's done with you, I'm gunna kick it," he almost showed anger from beneath his bored expression.

"_Trust me_... it's for a good reason." Kurenai urged as she looked away from the retired clan-head, as he continued to follow them towards the double door of the Hokage's office.

"Get your asses in here!" The livid voice of the Hokage carried through the thick wooden doors, sending a shiver down their spines as Kakashi swung the door open, to find their busty blonde leader neck-deep in paperwork. She gave them a lengthy stare as she signalled her aide to leave the room.

The pair glanced at each other before returning to the gaze of the Hokage. Shikaku took a seat on one of the chairs at the side of her desk, ready to dissect the information he was about to receive.

"...well, I don't have all day, Kakashi." Tsunade's voice boomed as she watched him remove his porcelain mask, only for his face to remain covered in the cloth that usually draped around his jaw.

"We have a very, _very _big problem, Hokage-sama." Kakashi glanced over to the Kunoichi besides him as she spoke before he could. He fully expected her to freeze up the way she did when he asked, but she had a more determined look than before. "The intel was correct. Amegakure has fallen to the enemy, and Kabuto is amassing an army within the base beneath Amegakure," Kurenai hesitated briefly; resulting in Tsunade thinking that was all there was to it.

"I see, no wonder you increased the border forces Kakashi. Shikaku, send word to the other Kages about these turn of events and..."

"That's not the main problem, Hokage-sama." Tsunade stopped to listen to the shaking Jounin before her.

"The situation is far graver than that. Madara and Kabuto are amassing an army...of Edo Tensei's." The dumbfounded look on the face of the Hokage said it all.

"I'm sorry? Did you just say an _army _of _Edo Tensei's_?" Shikaku was just as shocked as anyone.

"Hai, Shikaku-san...there were hundreds, if not thousands..." Kurenai glanced between their speechless faces before she began to recount the findings of her team.

**Flashback**

"There is something definitely wrong with this picture." Temari stated as the squadron of shinobi darted through the trees, their approach to the objective masked by nightfall.

"Tell me about it. I know we're in enemy territory but that's the fourth patrol in the last ten minutes. They shouldn't be patrolling this deep into their territory. Thank Kami we've got the best early warning system in the allied forces." The hushed voice of the groups' lieutenant replied.

"Arigato, Kankuro-kun..." said 'early warning system' replied from the head of the group. Her Byakugan was a recon team's best friend in such a situation.

Amegakure was but a stone's throw away from Konoha, bordered on three sides by villages of the allied forces; Sunagakure to the south, Tsuchikagure to the north, and Konoha to the east. Despite their miniscule stature in comparison to the neighbouring countries, they had always been a force to be reckoned with. Led previously by a man who singlehandedly destroyed Konoha, as well as his predecessor, a person who could fight as an equal to the combined strength of the Legendary Sannin; their relationship with Konoha was tenuous at best.

They maintained their neutrality at the start of the Fourth Shinobi War, much to the dismay of those who surrounded them. But despite their impartiality, a decree was issued by their current leader forbidding any foreign presence within their domain.

The squad expected to see shinobi and many patrols around the boundary area, but to continue running into patrols this far into the territory was somewhat troubling. Two hours had passed since they had crossed borders into Amegakure, yet they were still coming across patrols of Ame shinobi at an alarmingly high rate. There was something going on within Ame that they didn't want anyone finding out about.

Aside from the odd hushed remark the group moved silently through the forested area, avoiding any patrols they came across. The mission would be over abruptly, if they were discovered. Hordes of enemies would be upon them before they knew what hit them. One thing was clear though, each one of them hated the Kami-forsaken rain.

The drenched female at the front of the group halted suddenly, raising her hand to her teammates behind. Her captain landed next to her as the others in the group took up a defensive formation in close proximity.

"There is an entrance to an underground tunnel network approximately seven hundred metres directly north-west of our current position. However it is extremely well guarded." Kurenai acknowledged her subordinates intel, thinking briefly before replying.

"Are there any less guarded entrances?"

"There is another entrance about five kilometres from our position. I would suggest that we keep going, but it seems to be just as heavily guarded." Hinata stated as Kouhei spoke up for the first time since they left the comforting walls of Konoha.

"It shouldn't be a problem for me to slip past them undetected." The man's voice was muffled by the bandages that covered much of his face.

"What about the rest of us? You can't do this on your own, Kouhei." Kankuro questioned his friend and teammate only to be waved off by the mummified figure. Satisfied with the motion Kurenai continued.

"Are there any Zetsu clones within the group?" Hinata's stance became more rigid as she forced more chakra into her eyes, analysing every figure within the limit of her technique.

"There are dozens of clones over the landscape. Some are well hidden, others are in henge'd versions of Ame shinobi. There are three clones at the closest entrance." The new information peaked the focus of the squad. This changed everything.

"Ame has sided with the enemy? We need to get this information home." Temari's hushed voice became slightly shrilled as panic began to set in.

"No. Our orders are to see what they are doing inside _that _base. The fact that there are so many shinobi guarding this makes it all the more important that we continue with the mission."

"And how do you suppose we go about that? If one of those fucking clones see's us then that's it for all of us. Every soldier they have in this country will be on us in minutes." Temari almost growled as she protested the continuation of the mission.

"Then in that case, we don't get caught." Sai butted in with steel in his voice.

They fell silent momentarily as they thought about the situation in more detail. A smirk from Kurenai caught the attention of some of the group. Shino knew the look on his Sensei's face, as did the others who noticed it.

"What are you plotting, Kurenai-sensei?" The Aburame asked. She looked back at him with innocent looking eyes before turning to Hinata.

"Are there any clones at the other entrance?" Hinata replied by once again forcing chakra into her eyes as she used her Kekkei Genkai.

"No, but a greater number of shinobi are guarding that entrance." Hinata added as her Jounin-sensei nodded upon hearing the information.

"Good, then we can still do this. Are you certain you can get through this entrance without being detected?" Kurenai enquired, only to receive a nod in response from Kouhei.

"In that case I want you to enter here, and we will move onto the other entrance. We can deal with them quickly and quietly without causing too much hassle, and enter from there."

Kouhei looked at his teammates one last time before placing his hands into a seal, muttering under his even breaths before he simply vanished from sight. The only one who could still register his existence was Hinata, who struggled to distinguish the flickers of his chakra network from the dense droplets of rain. She watched as his essence moved quickly towards the entrance, until it became completely submerged within the gray of her vision.

The remaining group members shot off towards the other entrance, making sure to look out for any nearby patrols on the way. Within five minutes they had arrived, masking their presence within the tree-line close enough to make out the nine figures surrounding the entrance.

Five were visible outside the entrance, with the remaining four split between two groups hidden in the tree canopy. Kurenai glanced over to Shino, offering him a swift hand signal which caused him to disappear in a swarm of insects upon realisation of what she was asking.

Within seconds Hinata felt two of the shinobi disappear beneath a swarm of insects. Their bodies were laid down gently on the overhanging trees that they had camped on. She glanced quickly to her side as she felt one more of their number disappear from behind her. Sai was swiftly making his way towards the other two-man group hidden in the blind. The Hyuga heiress maintained her gaze on the five lingering around the entrance. They were within two-hundred metres, yet they appeared to remain oblivious to the fact that four of their number had silently been removed from action.

"Now it's my turn," Kurenai smirked as she disappeared in a haze, appearing directly in front of the last five.

The Ame-nin were startled briefly by her sudden arrival, but that time was more than enough for her. They attempted to go for their weapons, but they found their bodies unresponsive. The female on the end try to call out to anyone nearby, only for nothing but air to escape her pursed lips.

"Don't even try to move, not that you can." Kurenai threatened as she closed her eyes, concentrating on searching through the minds of her prisoners.

She walked through their mindscape, searching for what she needed to allow for the success of her plan. Finally she found what she was looking for. The Genjutsu Mistress of Konoha reached out with her words, ushering in a technique into their subconscious that allowed for the allied recon team to pass through undetected.

Temari, Kankuro, Matsuri, and Hinata were already moving swiftly down the darkened passage as Kurenai released the technique, satisfied she had been successful. Shino and Sai remained in the canopy, each flanked by a bunshin, one of insects, and the other of ink, surveying the area for any incoming threats.

The dimly lit tunnel carried on for a fair distance underground; every so often another passage branched off in another route. At each juncture Hinata felt her way through each path as to make sure that they continued on a route that allowed for speed, but also concealed them most effectively from the enemy.

After five or ten minutes of frantic movement through relatively deserted corridors, the level of light increased dramatically until they found themselves looking down into an expansive catacomb, spanning hundreds of metres in diameter. Stone pillars with a spiral pattern etched into them eclipsed their vision. They must have been almost four hundred metres underground.

"Do we need to get closer?" Matsuri questioned under her breath as she looked to the acting captain.

"You can see everything from here, right, Hinata?" Kurenai replied as she looked over to the soaking wet Hyuga. Her student merely nodded as she once again strained her eyes to cover the entire area. Kankuro also pulled out two pairs of binoculars, handing one to his sister, and keeping the other for himself. They were by no means as an effective surveillance tool as the Byakugan, but they were good enough to get a brief image of what was going on.

One drawback with the Byakugan was that it was only capable of enhanced vision. Hinata could see hundreds, if not thousands of people on the ground some two hundred metres below, yet she was incapable of hearing anything that was going on. She noted the vast line of civilians, chained and huddled close together in a rag-tag file. Men, women, and children; malnourished and dirty. She could feel the desperation oozing off them, yet without knowing exactly what was going on her visions were difficult to comprehend.

She noted a large group of unarmed Shinobi sat on their knees, surrounded by Zetsu clones and many other soldiers. Something about the other shinobi was...off? They wore attire of the different nation's military garb. Defectors? She pondered on the idea as she looked inwards, scrutinising their bodies down to the last cell. Their chakra networks were functional, but their circulatory system...

"N-no h-heartbeat" Hinata muttered her eyes widened suddenly.

"What?!" Kankuro queried as he pulled his eyes away from his binoculars and focussed his attention on her distraught expression. He tried to keep his voice quiet, yet his frantic delivery carried further than he wanted. The others around them began staring at the female on the left.

Hinata remained silent briefly as she regained her composure, forcing as much chakra as she could into her system as she looked at each circulatory system within the radius of her technique. There were over two-thousand-three-hundred 'people' inside the encampment. Around six hundred of which were Zetsu clones, with another one thousand being living humans. The last seven hundred seemed to suffer from the same ailment as the others she first laid eyes upon.

It was only when she stumbled upon what appeared to be some form of sadistic alter that the scene's beneath her took true form. Yakushi Kabuto stood at the head of what appeared to be a ritual etching marked out on the floor. Two Zetsu clones marched a frail old man into the six-by-six metre circle, throwing him to the floor as they disembarked. Hinata watched in utter disbelief as Kabuto performed what appeared to be a crude blood ceremony of sorts, though she was relatively certain it was a Jutsu, just one she had never witnessed before.

A shrill scream echoed out from the centre of the circle, loud enough for the Allied forces to hear it from their vantage point. Each looked down into the precipice of this hellish place trying to see where the deafening plea of help has come from. Before her eyes the elderly man was engulfed in what appeared to be fluid ash, sweeping across his body like a tidal wave. In moments a muscular shinobi donning the garments associated with Kirigakure took the place of the elderly man. Kabuto slithered across the space between him and the undead warrior, placing what appeared to be a Kunai into the back of his head.

Never in her life had Hyuga Hinata been so scared. Through two years of fighting, and six years of a career as a Shinobi, nothing had prepared her for this sickening moment. Her fear was quickly transformed into hatred, utter disgust for what she had just witnessed. Kabuto and Madara were using the inhabitants of the Rain as sacrifices to create Edo Tensei. This wasn't a base of operations. It wasn't a prison or torture chamber. No, it was something far more sinister than anyone could possibly imagine...

"We need to get out of here, now!" Hinata urged as she stepped away from the rock face.

"What? Why?" Kurenai whispered as she looked at the tense face of her former pupil.

"This place...this place is a factory." She steeled herself as the anger and resentment crept into her features. "They're using the inhabitants of this country... to create an army of Edo Tensei's."

No one spoke at first, trying to comprehend what they had just been told. Yet, the anguish stricken across their faces spoke a thousand words. However, before anyone could comment, a thunderous alarm rung out across the cavern shaking its very foundations. Instinctively the five-piece took up a defensive stance, Hinata in the centre with the other four crouched in every direction.

"Clear," Hinata ushered as she looked back into the precipice. There was a mass of movement going on. Hundreds of soldiers were moving towards a ground level tunnel on the far side of the base. With what felt like the last of her reserves she peered through the hordes of bodies moving through the tunnel.

"Where are they going?" Temari asked as she clenched her fan tightly, prepared for anything that came their way.

Further down the tunnel appeared to be a second hollowed out area. The lines of cots presented the area as a barracks for the Ame shinobi. Hundreds of Zetsu clones were filling out the room, leaving a semi-circle about 3 metres in diameter dead centre in the room. At first there appeared to be nothing there, but the more she focused two figures became visible in the background haze of the world.

The figure on the left adorned the colours of Suna, their head bandaged so that all that was visible were their eyes. She almost unleashed a primal scream as she saw the blade protruding through his sternum. She hadn't known him very long, but she knew well enough that the figure was Kouhei. He had been caught, killed in the most brutal of fashions. She could tell he was already dead before his knees began to buckle under the weight of his body.

His body became visible to the naked eye as it fell, sliding off the blade that seamlessly remained held in the air by a mist of chakra only visible by her Kekkei Genkai. Clearly the second figure had a similar ability to Kouhei, in that he could alter his body in a way that it appeared as if they were invisible. But before she could act on new-found knowledge, a wave of killer intent rushed over her...

"Someone's coming, we've got to move. Now!" She screamed.

Secrecy no longer mattered in this situation. Someone was already bearing down on them at great speed. The urgency in her voice was enough to cause each of them to head for the tunnel they had initially traversed down. As she moved a dragon-like creature swept down from the summit of the cavern, closing in by the second. The Allied Shinobi went from a well controlled retreat into a full-blown sprint as the massive bird of prey appeared in their view from the tunnel.

"Katsu!" That was the last they heard before the tunnel collapsed behind them under an explosion. If it wasn't for Kankuro's quick thinking they would have been buried underneath the rubble...

***End Flashback***

Kurenai's recollection of the mission was halted as a heavily panting Chuunin came bursting through the double doors of the Hokage's office.

"We are in the middle of a mission debriefing, leave now!" The Godaime Hokage stated with ever-increasing aggression with every word. Killer intent eeked out of her, not-so-much because of the interruption by the fearful looking Chuunin, but because she knew that sick bastard Kabuto was using the inhabitants of Ame as ingredients to make his immortal army. The timing of the Chuunin was drastically poor on his part.

"H-hai, Hokage-sama, but we just received a code one priority communication from the Western Border Patrol." The male figure adorning standard shinobi attire half stuttered, half blurted out in fear for his life.

Having heard this, Kakashi suddenly felt a sense of unease creep into his system. Something wasn't right with this picture. It took him a moment, but his heart sank as he came to the grim realisation of what this meant. Tsunade gave the figure a stare filled with anguish and panic, and waited silently for him to continue.

"Border Patrol has reported a medical emergency. Shadow-san is being transported back to Konoha via a hawk summon, and should reach the hospital in fifteen minutes. The report requested you directly, Hokage-sama." The Chuunin informed much to the surprise and dismay of Kurenai.

"...Okay. Arigato, Tenshou-san." Tsunade suddenly felt the need for some very strong alcohol, but knew she couldn't operate in that condition.

"Hokage-sama," the Chuunin bowed respectfully before retreating through the double doors and closing them behind himself. For once, both Shikaku and Kakashi displayed emotion. Their concerned glances were noted by Tsunade, who was feeling her own mass of conflicting emotions. A priority one message meant someone who was being transported in a near-death state. To think that Uzumaki-Namikaze Naruto was in a near-death state scared her to no end. Eventually the lady Hokage picked herself up from behind her desk, still being hindered by her own disbelief, before turning to the two Jounin.

"I expect to be debriefed on the move. We still have about ten minutes before they should arrive. Maybe that would shed some light on the current situation." Tsunade shot daggers towards them as she moved past them, heading towards the door.

Kurenai came to realise fairly quickly that she and her team were to blame for Shadows current situation, no matter how severe. They had defied his initial orders and he had almost gotten himself killed in the process. There was a good chance she'd be the one in critical condition once she finished debriefing the Hokage, and she knew it was a very high probability.

* * *

Haruno Sakura took pride in her work at the hospital. Since she had taken over the role as chief medic the mortality rate had dropped significantly, and she was a big hit with the male patients. She was beautiful, which was a troublesome trait to have for a person who saved the lives of shinobi day after day. She had lost count how many had thrown themselves at her because of the war, and the constant fear of not living long enough to see the next sunrise. Luckily for her, today her patient was female. Unluckily for her, today her patient was someone who openly hated her. At least she was still unconscious...

"...N-Na-ru-to..." the groggy voice caught the pink haired medic off guard as she looked away from the chart she was filling out. Slowly but surely, Hyuga Hinata was coming around.

If Sakura was beautiful, Hinata was perfection. Sakura watched as her lavender eyes began to stir, wrestling with her eyelids to awaken herself from her slumber. The dimming light that shone through the window instantly caused her to shut them again. They opened fully the second time, slowly surveying the surroundings.

"Where am I?" She tried to shout out, only to fall back in agony. Every joint in her body was seizing with the pain.

"Don't worry Hinata, you're back in Konoha." Sakura's delivery was a little shaky, but it got Hinata to calm down, if only a little. "Shino brought you in about an hour ago, you were suffering from hypothermia."

The confused looking girl nodded slightly, trying to take in the information the best that she could. "How long will I be here for?" She questioned as she looked up to her doctor now that her eyes had fully adjusted.

"I've already seen to the water that was in your lungs, but I need to keep you in over night to run some further tests." Hinata watched as her doctor droned out the words like it was the millionth time she had said it. "I think you just need a little time to recover."

"Arigatou, Sakura-san." Hinata's delivery lacked emotion. Now that she had come to her sense she maintained her standard tone that she held with the Haruno girl. Said Haruno nodded before departing through the door, leaving Hinata alone with her thoughts.

Her memory was coming back to her in pieces, but one thing stuck out like a siren. Shadow was wearing the Hitai-ite that she had recovered and repaired to give to Naruto as a birthday present. Now she had to decide if that occurred whilst she was still conscious, or her longing memory for Naruto had caused her unconscious mind to generate faux data.

Sakura didn't get two feet from the door before she was called into action yet again.

"Sakura-sama, we have a priority one emergency from the Western Border. Hokage-sama had already been informed; however, she may need your assistance as it seems the patient has been infected by a substantial quantity of Sasori's poisons." Kami if Sakura never heard that name again it would be too soon. She nodded in acknowledgement to her fellow medic-nin before heading towards the emergency theatre.

From what she had gleaned from Kankuro when she treated him, the Western Border was where they were returning from. Was this a prelude to an attack from Ame? Her mind became flooded with uncertainty before she was pulled away from her thoughts by a firm hand being placed on her shoulder.

"...I'm sorry?" she replied to the string of words that she hadn't been paying any attention to.

"I said, 'is Hinata able to receive visitors now'?" The indifferent voice of the Aburame brought the pink-haired medic-nin from her thoughts.

"Hai, Shino-kun. Her life is no longer in danger, but don't stay there too long because she needs to rest." She smiled as she watched him nod in reply, and turn towards Hinata's room. It was nice to see how close their team was. If only hers had managed to maintain their bonds...

Shino had only gotten half way down the corridor before he heard his former academy friend call out to him once again. He turned to see her almost running down the corridor to catch up to him.

"Is there a problem, Sakura-san?" Sakura just looked at him momentarily. She knew the way that Shino was with protocol, he wouldn't tell her anything about the mission, but she thought he should know.

"Is there anyone unaccounted for from your mission?"

"Why?" Shino was already on the defensive, as she expected.

"We just received an advanced warning from the Western Border Patrol concerning a medical emergency." At this, the whites of Shino's eyes seemed to light up from behind the dark lenses of his glasses. "I just thought you should know...if they were a part of your squad." Sakura caught the alarmed look on the barely visible face of her fellow member of the fabled 'Rookie Eleven'.

"If you are assisting in their treatment, please bear in mind that they saved the lives of my team today. When you see them, do not let personal feelings hinder your duty as a medical shinobi." Sakura was flummoxed by his attitude. She had no idea what all this cryptic talk was about, so she simply nodded dumbly in response.

She watched as he left once again, except this time he didn't head towards Hinata's room. If anything she was heading to the rooms where the Suna squad was in recovery. But she was certain of one thing; the way he spoke to her, it was like he was warning her. About what, she had absolutely no idea.

* * *

The streets of Konoha were still relatively quiet for the middle of the afternoon. The ever present ANBU had definitely spooked the civilians into staying indoors. Three people were walking down the main cobbled street that interlinked the hospital to the Hokage tower.

"So let me get this straight, you are openly admitting to me that you and your team _defied_ the orders of a superior officer in the heat of battle, and nearly got him _killed_?!" Kurenai winced as she felt the air pressure change around the Hokage as her right fist began to smoulder with an emerald-green glow.

"Y-you weren't there Hokage-sama. W-we were outnumbered four to one; we couldn't just leave him to fight against a platoon of Edo Tensei's that consisted of countless Jounin, S-rank Missing-nin, and a former Kage." Kurenai spluttered out but to no avail as it only seemed to make the Hokage angrier.

"Do _not_ give me excuses Kurenai. If you and Kankuro's teams hadn't of stopped to debate him saving your asses, Shadow wouldn't have been caught unawares by Deidara's attack, and he might not be in this position." The slug princesses fist cocked back in preparation for the chakra filled punch she was about to send the way of the Kunoichi before her. The force of the attack was batted away by a gloved hand connected to a standard ANBU arm guard.

"We don't need any more shinobi in the hospital, especially with what's ahead of us."

"Fine, but once I'm through treating Shadow expect me to pick up where I left off." Kurenai gulped as Tsunade stormed on ahead, apparently hearing enough of their mission.

She knew that Tsunade's anger wasn't just because of her squads mutinous actions, but because she had just found out about Kabuto's 'after hour' activities. Before today, only the sightings of the former Akatsuki members had ever been reported before. It was a common theory among the forces that Kabuto could have more of those wretched creations, but there was simply no proof, until today that is. To think that they had taken control of Ame was one thing. But to use any of those who protested as ingredients to create new Edo Tensei's was disturbing to no end.

Kurenai understood that the Ame-nin killed during their escape were following Deidara out of necessity. To be given the choice to serve in Madara and Kabuto's army, or used as a living sacrifice to allow another soul to take control of your body was a horrific decision to make. She could tell by the look on their faces that they didn't want to fight them, but they simply had no choice. But the way that Shadow had...it was just plain cruel.

Judging by what Kurenai stated, and what Kakashi confirmed with his tirade against the Seven Shinobi Swordsmen, Kabuto now had hundreds, if not thousands of Edo Tensei's. It seemed a logical tactic to use. The War had gone on for two years, where tens of thousands of Shinobi had perished. What better way to replenish the withering number of Zetsu-clones than with undead soldiers, incapable of dying, whilst at the same time causing unease and hesitation in the forces of their opposition. Despite the necessity for Shinobi to control their emotions, most people would struggle to fight the reanimated corpses of their friends, family, teammates, and lovers. It was a devastating prospect, a prospect that would almost definitely stem the tide of war against the Allied Shinobi Forces.

Kurenai sent a gracious smile over to the ANBU commander, who she knew had just saved him from a month in a hospital bed. He looked at her, his single eye bore through his mask in a way that scared her almost as much as the Hokage.

"Don't thank me; I just think you were trying to do the right thing. Shadow can be...untrustworthy to others. He likes to fight on his own and not have to rely on others." Kakashi looked around the barren streets before he raised both his mask and the cloth covering his eye, presenting Kurenai with his fearsome Mangekyo Sharingan. "If he doesn't pull through, I won't hesitate in killing you."

The spiralling orb of red and black closed into a 'U' shape as he smiled menacingly at her. No one would take away the only link he had to his beloved sensei, _no one_. Once he was satisfied that she had gotten the picture he refitted his mask and walked on ahead of her, only a couple of hundred yards from the hospitals' courtyard. He looked to the skies and saw a black speck getting larger and larger as it descended from the heavens. _"Please Kami, I know I don't pray very often, but let Naruto pull through. It's all I can ask." _

Kurenai was left rooted to the spot. She had never seen Kakashi act like that, ever. Not even when Rin was killed all those years ago. _"Shadow must really mean a lot to him." _And then it hit her like a bullet in the head. The way Kakashi spoke about him, the way he acted not ten seconds ago, those interchangeable orange and blue eyes, the long blonde hair, and _that_ flash she saw when he rescued Hinata.

She gasped as the pieces of the puzzle began to fall into place. _"It's really him." _She screamed inside her mind. Behind that Kami forsaken black mask was Uzumaki Namikaze Naruto, _Hero _of Konoha, Heir of two of the most prestigious clans the world had ever seen, and the only living descendent of the Yondaime Hokage...and she may have just gotten him killed. "Oh Kami..."

"Get that gurney ready!" The Hokage stood at the head of the entourage yelled at two orderlies wheeling the metallic table into the courtyard.

Dust was flowing freely around the yard as the vast wingspan of the beastly summon caused a miniature sandstorm. As its claws finally sunk into the earth and its wings adducted back into its body, attention was paid to the three people on its back. One was a medic knelt over his charge, another bore standard ANBU attire; most likely the hawk summons master. The final figure was difficult to see considering they were lying down, but everyone was fully aware that they were there.

The two orderlies wheeled the gurney into position at the side of the colossal hawk. The medic and ANBU seemed to stand to attention, each holding two strands of cloth in their hands. A stretcher was lifted from its stationary position on top of the beast, and carefully lowered onto the gurney. The ANBU seemed to stroke the overgrown bird on the head causing it to instantly disappear, resulting in the two figures plummeting to the ground. Their landing was masked by the smoke of the dispersed summon.

As the smoke cleared the ANBU operative and medic-nin stood next to the stretcher bearers, along with Tsunade and two more medics. Kakashi and Kurenai looked on from the side of the building, not wanting to get in the way.

There was an audible gasp from the two assisting medical staff as the patient was unmasked by the smoke. Tsunade had seen some horrible things in her lifetime, but this was right up there among the worst. The only garment of clothing the figure had left on him was the pair of tattered and frayed combat trousers, and one solitary battle sandal. His entire upper torso was bare, aside from the bloodied Hitai-ite that clung to his arm. Every inch of visible flesh was caped in blood, gushing from the numerous lacerations along his body.

Upon her initial inspection, the lady Hokage counted no fewer than fourteen stab wounds on his torso and arms alone, each with varying degrees of penetration. Tsunade was positive there would be more given a full body scan. The shallow and laboured breaths of the patient showed that at least a couple of his ribs were broken, no doubt with more bones along with them. Scorch marks tainted his skin in numerous positions. One of which had almost eaten down to the bone on his right shoulder, which was seemingly being held together by a few strands of muscle.

"H-how is he still a-alive?" The youngest looking medic stammered in utter astonishment as she looked at what could only be described as something out of a horror film. The others didn't question this feat of inner strength and simply put, luck.

"He was drifting in-and-out of consciousness part of the way here. He told me to pump him up with soldier and blood replenishment pills as he tried to work on controlling the poison, but that was over fifteen minutes ago." The male medic-nin that escorted him back to Konoha added as he looked over to the Hokage. "I did everything I could, Hokage-sama."

She averted her eyes from her near-death patient for the briefest of moments, smiling slightly at the man before telling the orderlies to move him to the operating theatre. She didn't move from his side the entire time.

Those who were in the corridors parted as the desperate looking medics ushered the man known as Shadow towards the emergency room. Onlookers couldn't believe their eyes when they caught a glimpse of the black mask of the fabled shinobi. They passed an open corridor that intersected their route, where the remains of the Suna squad, along with Sai and Shino watched on as the rumours were confirmed. The glare Tsunade gave them as they rushed past was something that would stick in their minds for a _long _time.

"Are you just going to stand there, or are you coming?" They were ripped from their daze by the silver-haired ANBU that brought up the rear with Kurenai and another ANBU. The worried and solemn nods they replied with were enough of a response for Kakashi, who simply carried on walking behind the scramble ahead.

"Tsunade-sama," her protégé and chief medical shinobi greeted as they came into view of the operating theatre, "I have everything prepared for the patient." With that Sakura looked to said patient.

What a mess. She didn't think she had seen so much blood cover one person. She took a step back when she saw _his _mask, the man who needed no introduction. To think even one of the legends of the Allied Forces could end up like this would be a crushing blow for morale, once the information filtered through the villages.

"...Sakura," Tsunade sighed as she watched the others move into the theatre, leaving Sakura and Tsunade alone outside. The others who were following had stopped at the end of the corridor, having reached the point of no entry for non-medical staff.

"Is there something wrong Sensei?" Sakura looked at those saddened eyes. She hadn't seen her like this since...

"It would probably be best if I did this without you," She replied to her understudy who looked on in disbelief. Never before had Tsunade asked her to stay out of something. "However, _you _are the foremost expert on Sasori's poisons. As much as I'd like to exclude you from this, I need you in there with me."

"What is going on here?" Tsunade's suspect behaviour, along with the warning Shino gave her was beginning to force her mind into figuring out something she really didn't want to.

She just looked back at her, lacking explanation for her reservations. "..I _need _you on your game in there, okay? _His_ life is in _our _hands." If anything Sakura would say that Tsunade was pleading with her, but she still couldn't work out why.

"H-hai."

"_Nothing will stop me from treating my patients, nothing. Why is she acting like this?" _Sakura's inner self mused as she simply batted away the warnings, and headed into the theatre. The blonde Hokage let out a sigh as she knew this was going to end badly. She just hoped to Kami that they wouldn't need to take his mask off...

"He's crashing! Quick, we need to intubate." A scream from inside the theatre caught her attention as she moved through the doors. _"For the love of...What did I just ask for Kami? Jeez."_

"Damn it. Okay, okay, do it. We can worry about procedure later." The Hokage gave her permission to the junior medic to remove the figures mask. Oh how much Tsunade wished that Sakura could work blindfolded.

"Err...we have a problem, Hokage-sama."

"What is it?" She replied as she began her first set of chest compressions.

"H-his mask...I-it's f-fused to his f-face."

"What?!" Tsunade screamed as she looked on in disbelief. She and Sakura both looked up to the man's face. It appeared that the Katon jutsu that he had taken to his shoulder had caused part of his mask to fuse with the flesh on his right cheek. "Kami had it in for you today didn't he, Shadow."

"At least he's already unconscious. It's not something I'd ever want to endure." Sakura added as she picked up a scalpel, handing it to her sensei. Tsunade ushered one of the junior medics to continue the compressions as she and Sakura moved up to his head.

As quickly and as neatly as she could, Tsunade cut away the tissue that had merged with the mask. There was so much blood. It was amazing there was any left in his system. The last strand of flesh was cut away, freeing the mask from his face. All that was left was to actually lift it from his face, an act that brought with it hesitation on the part of the Godaime.

It was a hesitation that Sakura had noticed all too quickly. Alarm bells were beginning to ring out in her head as she saw Tsunade place her gloved hands on either side of the battered black mask. This was it, whatever she was being warned about by both Shino and Tsunade was about to be revealed to her. Deep down she knew from the very second Shino had said anything this was coming, so much so that her mouth was moving before the mask had even been raised.

"Na...ru...to," a disbelieving whisper called out as she felt the dams of her tear-ducts about to break when she looked down upon his bearded face. Despite the facial hair covering his birthmark whiskers and his pale blue eyes being clamped shut, she knew it was him. She could remember the day he had received that scar that almost mirrored Kakashi's. Kami, she wasn't prepared for this.

Neither were the other two medics stood over him. To think that the merciless Shadow and the Hero of Konoha were the same person was astounding. Tsunade paid no attention initially to their dumbfounded stares as she fixed the intubation tube into place, whilst forcing chakra into his system with a dull green glow. She refused to let him die, not after everything. His heart-beat began to stabilise with the chakra being forced into his system by the Godaime.

"Sakura, I know it's a lot to handle but I need you to remove the poison. If you can remove it he will be able to do the rest for us." The strain in her voice was apparent, brought on by severe chakra exertion and the distress she was feeling by looking at the horrific wounds inflicted upon Minato's legacy.

The stricken girl gazed for the briefest of moments at Naruto's face, before a look of determination grew rapidly in her eyes. The fierceness in her stare gave the Hokage her answer. With that, she took her place on the other side of his torso, beginning the process of poison extraction that had become ingrained into her through hundreds of repetitions.

* * *

**Somewhere in Amegakure**

"Sasori? Deidara? Why am I not looking at the dead bodies of the rats that infiltrated our compound?" The man formerly known as Tobi asked as curtly as he could. He felt like unleashing his full fury upon them, yet he knew that he couldn't kill them even if he wanted to.

He was pointing at the empty spaces on the floor besides the one Suna shinobi they had managed to kill. From the report given to him by Kabuto, this man had a skill that could be useful to their cause. Madara had made a point to make Kabuto use the dead shinobi's DNA in the next batch of summonings.

"**Yeah, you fucked up" **Black Zetsu chimed darkly as White Zetsu tried to get him to shut up.

"Hey, it wasn't our fault! We had them trapped..." Deidara defended as he tried to explain himself. Despite being hidden beneath a mask, the swirling Sharingan in the leader's right eye told Deidara that he was in no mood for bullshit.

"And yet they are not here. Yuhi Kurenai, the Sabaku no Siblings, and the heirs to the Aburame and Hyuga clans; each one of their bodies would have served as a vital military asset for our cause."

"Deidara is right. We had them in our grasp. They had reinforcements." The Red hair of Sasori shook as he tried to dry his body from the rain. He still couldn't get used to having flesh and bone, after all those years as a human puppet.

"I was getting to that, un." Deidara tried to regain control from his partner. "An ANBU guy appeared out of nowhere. He stopped one of the other Edo's attacks a split second before it landed on the Hyuga girl, un. Then he fought off the rest of us as they escaped. His lack of artistic style made me sick, un."

Madara looked bemused at that, as did the man standing on his flank. He stood a couple of feet behind him, hidden away in the darkness. He hadn't heard much in this conversation that had piqued his interest until that moment.

"So let me get this straight. A single ANBU managed to hold off your entire attack unit; two members of the Akatsuki, a former Kage, a platoon of Edo Tensei's, and two squadrons of Ame and Oto-Nin?" The slight nod and scratch of the head by the clay user was enough of an answer for Madara as he continued.

"Describe him to me. Appearance, Techniques, anything you would deem useful." He had turned away from Deidara and was now asking Sasori, who despite his short-tempered nature was much easier to deal with.

"Standard Konoha ANBU attire, blonde hair, interchangeable eyes from dull blue to glistening gold, black mask...he had an affiliation with multiple nature chakras, able to create dozens of Mizu-Bunshins capable of prolonged combat, a transportation technique that allowed him to flicker out of existence in a flash of light..." Sasori listed off as if reading from a scroll as those around him listened in.

More than one thing stood out in that analysis. Especially the last thing Sasori noted. A time-continuum technique? Yes, this was a turn of fortunes for Madara. He had become enthralled by this new combatant.

"Well, it appears the rumours about the ANBU with the powers of a demon were true. A menacing black mask complete with golden eyes, and an unrivalled power. It seems the mythical figure does exist. Interesting. Very interesting." The annoyance in his voice at the failure of his subordinates was quickly transforming into intrigue. Perhaps they would attain something more valuable than was initially expected.

"And what about the Allied Forces? Now they know what we're doing they're bound to try to stop us, un." Deidara remarked.

"I think the significant word there is 'try'. Whatever they try will end up in failure. We have an army of Edo Tensei, and they have no way of stopping them. This was is already over; the Moons Eye plan will be completed.

"Let them come, I have no intention of losing." It was only now that he appeared to be brimming with confidence. He looked over his shoulder to the man stood behind him, silently waiting.

"You may yet get your chance at revenge...Sasuke." Madara encouraged as he thought on the black masked ANBU once again. He was almost certain he knew who was behind that mask, and the aura coming off the un-dead teen behind him seemed to know it too.

Uchiha Sasuke turned away from the Akatsuki members fully into the darkness without even saying a word. Yet, he knew Madara was right. He would have his revenge. Not for his clan, nor his brother. No, revenge for himself. Revenge for his death at the hands of the person he had once considered to have shared a bond stronger than anyone.

Since his resurrection Sasuke had searched for one thing, only to find no leads what so ever. That is until now. Uzumaki Naruto's whereabouts were unknown to anyone whom he'd come across. Yet, the intrigue he felt when hearing of this blue-eyed, blonde-haired ANBU with the power of a demon was compelling to his impulsive nature. One way or another he would peel that mask off his face.

'One day, I will have my revenge'.

* * *

**Author Note: **And there we have it. I apologise for the standard grammatical errors, but my minds still a little out of shape. I've tinkered around with chapter a lot from the first draft. Not too keen on what I've written, but I hope it's satisfactory for a first chapter in well over a year.

As I said in the note at the head of the document, I'm about 40% complete with the next chapter, so I'll probably have it updated in a couple of weeks.

Thanks for reading. Ciao.


	6. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

**Author Note: **I could offer you a load of different reasons as to why I haven't updated, but it would take too long and I kinda half did it already last month when I introduced a new story. 'Darth Avarus: the Protector' if anyone is interested...Naruto and Star Wars Crossover. I was pleasantly surprised by the reception it got having never ventured into xovers.

Anyway, 3 months later than planned, here you go.

* * *

Chapter 6: Recovery

"Are you just going to skulk in the corner all night?" The bed-ridden figure managed to rasp out as his eyes finally adjusted to the darkened room he found himself lying in.

He was fully aware of his location; he had seen _that _block patterned ceiling far too many times to count over his life. Kami he hated the hospital. Still, it was better than the alternative. It had been two or three minutes since the patient had stirred from his slumber. Each passing moment had been one that he had given the other figure in the room to speak up, but his patience was wearing thin. He knew he wasn't there for the sake of his safety...he could tell by the tense air surrounding the figure that was the last thing on his mind.

"...Well? As much as I like the peace and quiet, I _really _don't like being watched. _Speak_." The anger in his voice sparked a reaction. The slightest tinge of fear filled the air, shortly replaced by...pity?

He heard the echo of one footstep after another as a hooded character stepped into the crack of moonlight shining through the gap in the curtains. Naruto cracked a wry smile as he saw the ever cautious figure of Aburame Shino step into his field of vision. Tall, hidden mostly by a grey and black trench coat and a pair of dark tinted pair of glasses, the future clan leader struck a stern image, but Naruto knew him for what he really was; quiet, loyal, intelligent, and kind.

"Why?" That was the only word that he heard through seemingly clenched teeth.

"I do not understand your question, Aburame-san." At the drop of a hat, Naruto slipped back into his cool and calm alter ego. Yet all it seemed to do was further anger the bug tamer.

"Cease the performance, _Shadow-san_. You are not fooling anyone..." That surprised him. Not only was the ever-stoic former classmate of his openly displaying emotion, but he was staring right at him. Not at his mask, but straight through his facade. "..._Naruto._"

That name made every muscle in his body tighten, causing pain to shoot up his right shoulder. He glanced over to the heavily bandaged appendage whilst subconsciously raising his left hand to his face. Flesh met flesh. He hadn't even noticed his mask was missing. He had become so accustomed to the feel of his porcelain mask on his skin that it felt as if he was wearing no mask at all.

Self-consciously he berated himself for not noticing it sooner, whilst at the same time making a mental note to give Tsunade a piece of his mind due to her complacency with ANBU regulations. He should've been masked, within an isolated ward in the hospital, with guards outside his door. Yet none of that appeared to have happened.

"How long have I been out?" Naruto winced as he tried to sit himself up. To someone other than him the pain would've been unbearable, but he put it to the back of his mind as he forced himself to sit up in the bed. Pain was nothing more than a word if you knew how to control it. That was something he had learned long ago by an old foe.

"Five days." Shino complied as he took another step closer towards the bed. "To be honest I was not expecting you to wake. The way you came back from _that _mission...I-I had never witnessed anything like it." Shino's anger dissipated for a moment, in the favour of guilt, before the anger returned once again.

"I've had much worse." Naruto reminisced over some of his previous extended visits to the hospital before speaking again. "You clearly have something you want to say to me. I'll say it once more. _Speak_."

Shino skulked over to the bedside. He seemed unsettled, much more so than Naruto had ever seen him. If he listened attentively enough, he could hear insects housed within the Aburame stirring. The Aburame remained silent for the briefest of moments, almost as if he was mentally rehearsing what he was about to say.

"Why? How could you do that to us? It's been _month's _since anyone has heard from you." Naruto gawked open-mouthed at the outrage that roared towards him like a fire spreading through dry brush. He could hear the sound of insects flying with an ear-splitting buzz. He could feel his left arm getting heavier. What strength he had when he had woken all but left him.

"How could you do that to _her_? You were all she had left in her life and you left her alone! Do you even understand..."

"Shi...Shino!" Naruto managed to force out his name as he felt the despair of your life force being sucked out of you by the bugs notoriously used by the Aburame clan.

Shino stumbled backwards after realising what he was doing, dropping his arms to the floor, instantly recalling his insects back into his body. All he could hear was the short and staggered breaths of Naruto as he tried to combat the effects of the attack which almost killed him. Shino dropped to his knees upon the stark realisation of how close he had just come to making the biggest mistake of his life. He clenched his fists as he heard Naruto's breathing slowly stabilise, watching as Shadow's darkened eyes bore into him.

"I-I...I'm sorry. I..."

"Save it. I deserve worse." Naruto cut off Shino's attempted apology, relaxing back into the bed as his eyes wandered back to the ceiling.

It grew silent within the hospital room.

"_Did I really just do that? I-I almost killed him. I, I don't know wha..." _Shino was plucked from his somewhat worrying thoughts by the rather solemn voice of the other figure in the room.

"I really fucked up, didn't I?" Naruto laughed almost apologetically. "I never meant to hurt her...anyone." He answered his own question before Shino had the opportunity, silently berating himself for saying _her_.

"Yet you hurt her more than anything that I have seen her suffer with over all these years, Naruto. The thought of your demise has plagued her since the day of your disappearance." the Aburame stated, sighing as he looked at the 'man' who had caused his female teammate so much trouble over the years.

Naruto felt a weight on his chest, more so than he had felt since... It was all too much in this situation for him to handle. The affront that so often took control in such instances reared its head once again. With a great deal of effort Shadow forced such thoughts to the back of his mind.

"How many people know of my..._past_?" His gaze queried more than his even voice let on. Shino very quickly caught on to the rapid change in topic, but thought better of it than to pry.

Shino felt ashamed. He had dishonoured his clan by being unable to control his anger. The Aburame are known for their calm temperament because it is a necessity to them. The insects that they share a symbiotic relationship with feed off the emotions of the human. If an Aburame is to lose his control, the insects can feed off it, devolving into a mindless frenzy if such emotions are not reined in. He wanted to beg for forgiveness, yet the conflict he could see in the eyes of his comrade made any remark he could make irrelevant. Despite the shroud of darkness he could feel around Naruto, he could feel no hatred directed at him for almost killing him only moments ago.

"Many of the shinobi present on the mission, as well as the members of the medical staff who operated on you. Do not worry though, the majority of the medical staff had the incident wiped from their memories by the Torture and Interrogation division, and the shinobi have been ordered to remain silent on pain of court-martial, or worse." Naruto caught the last words catch in Shino's throat a little.

"_Tsunade must have scared them shitless_._"_ Naruto mused as he nodded in satisfaction to what he had heard from his fellow member of the 'Rookie Nine'. It could become a problem for him in the future, but he had no intention of scaring fellow shinobi into secrecy, especially not ones whom he had considered friends at one point. Then it clicked...

"Wait. What do you mean, 'the majority of the medical staff'? Standard procedure is for _all _ANBU related operations to result in memory wipes for _all _medical personnel involved."

Shino braced himself before answering the rather aggressive enquiry. "Due to the nature of your injuries, Hokage-sama needed assistance in removing the poison coursing through your veins..."

"Oh Kami, don't tell me..." Naruto bemoaned as he already knew where this was heading.

"She saved your life, Naruto. If it wasn't for her you would have died on the operating table. Sakura-san even opted to tend to your treatment for the remainder of your stay here." That left Naruto a little wide-eyed.

"...What..." he muttered under his breath as he looked up to his former friend for signs of deception.

"It's true. Sakura-san has even been reprimanded by Hokage-sama for neglecting her duties in the hospital because she has spent too much time in here." Shino informed him in his usual know-it-all fashion, but to be honest the only reason he knew was because of what Hinata had told him. She had caught the resident medical chief in Naruto's room several times over the past couple of days. Of course, she usually left fairly quickly when she laid eyes on the Hyuga Heiress.

_Psh. _"I don't need her fucking pity. She hasn't spoken a word to me in two years, and now she wants it to be like old times again because I got a little hurt. That didn't stop her from hating me when I almost lost my eye, or the time I turned up with a collapsed lung and five broken ribs."

"...What happened to you, Naruto? This is not like you at all. Has joining ANBU poisoned your mind that much?" The longer this conversation carried on, the more Shino felt the disparity between Naruto and Shadow. This was not just a case of Naruto wearing a mask, he was literally becoming a different person.

"Hah, poisoned me? What on earth are you talking about? Joining ANBU _freed _me from the hell of being stuck in this village whilst those I cared about were fighting for their lives on the battlefield, to _protect me_. Tsunade halted my participation in the general army; ANBU gave me the opportunity to finish this once and for all."

His hand, which had tightly grasped his porcelain mask throughout the conversation, began to move towards his face supplanting the menacing black mask where it rightfully belonged. Shino noticed that the mask was damaged, badly. If anything it made the whole thing seem even more alluring to the shroud of fear that surrounded this almost fictional shinobi.

Despite the horrendous pain he was feeling throughout his body, Shadow managed to haul himself to his feet, much to the amazement of Shino. Bandages covered his torso, shoulders, and neck, signifying the extensive damage that he must have taken from the previous mission.

"Stand back," Shadow stated quietly, causing Shino to move back a couple of paces before watching Shadow fire through a number of hand seals, before slamming his open palm into the floor. "Fuin!"

"...What did you just do?" Shino asked as nothing appeared to have happened.

"I placed a chakra seal on this room to suppress what I'm about to do," he replied matter-of-factly before closing his eyes.

"_Fuin Jutsu are not documented on Naruto's file. When did he learn such a skill? ANBU perhaps?" _Shino mused quietly as he pondered on what Naruto was about to do.

In a matter of seconds an intense burst of light flooded the small recovery room, nearly blinding Shino if it wasn't for his tinted glasses. Its intensity did not fade for one second, until the room dissipated back to darkness. Shino opened his eyes to see Naruto flexing his muscles enthusiastically, showing little-to-no signs of pain.

"This is one of the very few benefits of being a Jinchuriki, Aburame-san. Rapid cell regeneration means that, given I have enough chakra in my system, I can recover from almost any injury."

Shino watched on as the masked figure began to remove the strapping that covered the majority of his torso. He gasped slightly at the blemished skin in the morning rays that crept through the crack in the curtains. The man was covered in wounds, some scarred over, and many more still relatively fresh. The entirety of the skin on his right shoulder was a shade darker than the rest, heavily burned, yet still appeared fully functional.

"If you can utilise the chakra of the Kyubi no Yoko to heal your wounds, why do you maintain such blemishes to your body?" Shino offered his confusion about that aspect, as Shadow picked up on in the questioning tone of his voice.

"For such an intelligent and insightful shinobi, you sure as some peculiar questions," Shadow almost mocked as he effortlessly stretched out his arms and legs, making sure all his internal injuries had healed to a desirable capacity.

"It is one thing to have the power to heal one's injuries, but it is something entirely different to forsake your mortality. Each and every scar acts as a reminder for me that one day, I won't be so lucky."

Shadow flicked a glob of blood over a small tattoo on his left forearm. A full combat suit appeared out of thin air, laid out perfectly on the bed. With no hint of embarrassment or signification for Shino to avert his gaze, Shadow removed what little hospital clothing he had been wearing, and began to place on his standard shinobi attire. The scene left Shino uncomfortable, moving towards the window as to remove the mostly naked warrior from his view. The subtle noises of clasps and metal clipping in place gave the Aburame an opportunity to reflect on the man behind him.

The majority of the shinobi who knew Naruto personally, and many more who did not, knew of the turmoil that he had suffered. The fables that fluttered around the allied camps about his greatness were not for the faint hearted. In such a short space of time, he had gone from the 'dead-last' to a _hero_, yet many the tales about him focussed on the more... unfortunate aspects of his life. Many focussed on his upbringing as an orphan. Others discussed the death of his Sensei and the sacrifices he made to protect his village. The public announcement of his status of Jinchuriki prior to the start of the War left many struck for words. Others, however, were guilt-ridden that something so foul could happen to a fellow shinobi. Shino fell into the latter category.

Despite the many tales of his life before the War, the majority concerned his actions during the conflict. He was a formidable warrior, and a great leader. He was one of the first Konoha Shinobi to receive the 'Kage's Will', the posthumous honour attainable for bravery, after he single-handedly held off an entire division of Oto-nins during an evacuation of a border town between Otogakure and Hi no Kuni. Naruto even became the first Allied Shinobi to achieve a battlefield promotion, after he successfully took command of the 'Third Division' following the death of General Kitsuchi and a number of his Lieutenants following an ambush. If it hadn't been for his leadership the losses would have been tenfold. He truly was a fabled Shinobi, a true successor to the Godaime if ever there was to be one.

It was difficult to imagine that the same person had become the most feared individual in the known world. If he were a nuke-nin, Shino had no doubt in his mind that Shadow would be classed as a Kage-Class criminal in the bingo book. Many of the rank-and-file spoke of him as if he were a monster, void of human emotion. Mothers used stories of the 'black masked ANBU' to keep them out of trouble. After his name appeared on the rumour mill it was to be expected.

'Konoha ANBU member with a black mask, blonde hair, and yellow eyes spotted leaving a border village in Hi no Kuni. No survivors'. That was the first Shino had ever heard of the man, but nothing substantial could even be taken from this. A lone figure had entered a town and killed everyone, down to the last woman and child. It was only when Allied Forces investigated the massacre that they noticed the remains of Kabuto's experiments; each and every body contained the same foreign DNA that was present in those who had suffered the 'curse mark' given out by Orochimaru. His actions may have crossed the line between being a 'true' shinobi and a monster, but he did what was necessary to halt a potential catastrophe.

Many thought he was a myth, others thought he was a remnant of 'ROOT' continuing in the footsteps of his former masters madness. Evidence of his existence was minimal, that was until he appeared on the battlefield for the first time. He decimated an 800 strong platoon of Zetsu-clones in a matter of moments, right in front of the prying eyes of over 300 battered and bruised shinobi on the verge of retreat.

Yes, so too Shadow rapidly became a 'hero' in his own right. Yet, he also suffered from a dehumanising smear in the public eye through his questionable actions. It was hard to think that the _Hero of Konoha_ and _the Merciless Shadow _were the same.

Shino could only watch on as Naruto locked the last clip of his battle armour in place. Save for the yellow eyes that he had seen six nights ago, his form was complete. Kami, it was a formidable sight to see, one that was now heightened by the heavily burnt shoulder and neck that crept underneath his damaged mask. There was only one thing missing.

"Where is my Hitai-ite?" Shadow asked as he looked around the vicinity of the bed, finding nothing that resembled his one and only discernible marker of his past life. If anything it was the only thing he truly cherished in all of his possessions.

"Hinata-san took it away to be repaired." Shadow only nodded in reply as he double-checked his armour was in place. He had no intention of sitting around, and he had just been given his first sojourn before meeting with Tsunade. He didn't expect the aging leader to be up any time soon.

"Naruto, please see reason. Do not weigh yourself down with this burden. We understand Naruto, we _all _do. We will stand besides you just as we have in the past." Shino tried to reassure him, but he could tell his words were falling on deaf ears.

"I have already chosen my path, Aburame-san. Uzumaki Naruto is dead. All that remains is what you see before you, for I am but a Shadow who has chosen to protect those whom he swore to keep safe."

"You don't have to do this alone." Shino pleaded as he felt the air-pressure in the room begin to shift.

"When peace prevails, there will no longer be a place in this world for men like me. The sooner you realise that, the quicker you will understand my reasons for following this path. This is not a path to be shared, with _anyone_." He glanced towards the window, gazing out onto the peaceful courtyard before returning his gaze to the Aburame heir.

"And one more thing; thank you. Please, don't approach me again." The stoic figure remained unmoved as the ANBU operative disappeared into the shadows, left in place to contemplate his parting words. No matter how much Naruto fought against his past, Shino could tell one thing for certain. Uzumaki Naruto was still alive somewhere within that abyss.

The sound of the door quickly opening and closing behind him took him from his thoughts. A rather sleep deprived medic-nin stumbled past him, trying to catch a yawn with her free hand whilst gazing intently at the clipboard held before her eyes.

"Okay Naruto, let's see how you're feeling today." Her voice had a distinct cheer within it, one Shino hadn't heard in a long time. "Nani!" The cheer turned to scream when she realised that her patient was missing. She looked around trying to see if he was still around, noticing the figure standing fairly close to the door.

"He left approximately three minutes ago." Shino stated as he looked at the distraught look on her face.

"But he was in no condition to move. How could you possibly let him leave?" Her caring tone almost gave the listener hidden from existence within the shadows something to smirk about.

"_Shino really wasn't joking. She does care. Still, it's too little too late now, Sakura." _Naruto's final thoughts were ones that reminded him of her actions over the past two years. There was very little she could do to make up for that. With that thought he really did leave.

"He utilised the power of the Kyubi no Yoko to enact rapid cell regeneration, repairing his injuries. Shadow-san was fully capable of discharging himself."

Sakura openly sighed as she sat back onto the bed. "...I guess some things never change," she mused quietly as she remembered back to the countless times he had done something like this before. He really did hate hospitals. "Why were you here so early anyway, Shino-kun?" Sakura questioned as she noted the time. It was a little after 5am. Visiting hours didn't begin for another seven hours.

"I had a matter to discuss with Shadow-san." Shino limited his response, causing Sakura to feel the urge to pry, yet was stopped by his body turning away from her and faced towards the door.

"Why do you keep calling him Shadow-san? He's still Naruto." Sakura queried as he began walking towards the door.

"...No, he isn't." The way he said it gave Sakura chills. "Good day, Sakura-san." With that he was gone, leaving Sakura alone to analyse Shino's words, whilst tending to the sodden bandages that Shadow left on the floor.

* * *

The streets were quiet, eerily so. It was too early for most civilians to be up-and-about, but shop owners and food vendors were also completely non-existent. ANBU hid away in the nooks and crannies that only well-seasoned shinobi would know where to look. Dozens took up positions throughout the streets he walked through, and he could feel the presence of even more on the rooftops and nearby areas.

Shadow felt unsettled. Almost a week after the mission and the security was still at such a high level. Tsunade and Kakashi were clearly taking no chances with whatever information the task force brought back. A newly erected encampment aligned the street Shadow turned into. Tents lined up along either side of the cobbled street as far as the eye could see, each with the symbol of the allied forces stitched onto them.

"_An invasion army, or defence troops?" _Shadow mused as he walked through the cluttered street. The size and number of tents allowed him to estimate roughly seventy shinobi housed along this street. There was no doubt in his mind that there were many more streets like this.

A strong hand on his shoulder cut short his stroll. He turned to be greeted by a face he had not seen in many months.

"Y-you should-d not be h-here, S-S-Shadow-san." The confidence with which the shark-like shinobi had grasped the unknown ANBU's shoulder had dissipated the second the man had turned to face him.

Chojiro shook slightly under the terrorising presence emitted from the fearful mask. His appearance did little justice to the stories he had heard about him. His black-mask was chipped and scorched, to the extent that the right side of his mask appeared as though it fused onto the darkened skin that it hid. The damage skin stretched along his neck, hidden beneath the strap of his chest-plate, before reappearing prominently around his shoulder joint and upper arm.

"I'm just passing through," he replied nonchalantly as he removed the Kiri-nins hand, and gave him a stout nod before turning away to continue on his walk towards the Hyuga estate.

"W-wait," the self-conscious swordsman called out as he ran to catch up with Shadow. "Are t-the reports true? D-did you really face Zabuza-Sama and the rest of the swordsman? Have they been revived as we've been told?" The worry in his voice gave way to the fear of seven of the most deadly swordsmen to have ever lived being reborn in such an ungodly form.

"Unfortunately so," he answered without an iota of emotion as he carried on with his stride, leaving the Kiri-nin in his wake. Chojiro watched on as this fabled shinobi strolled away, worry filling his face as he clenched tightly to the hilt of his blade. Things were going to get worse, _much _worse.

The Hyuga Estate was a vast complex, taking up almost an entire district of Konoha. Movement within the district was not prohibited, yet branch-family stationed guardsmen at all entrances to the Clan heads residence. It was ill-advised to sneak onto the grounds, on pain of death if one was to be found, but that was little issue for Shadow. He could get into the building in the same way that he rescued the Hyuga heiress from certain death.

Yet he had to heed caution. It was only 5:30am. There was a good chance he would be transported into the young Hyuga's bedroom. In fact, that was what he was hoping for. With any luck he could get what he came for and be on his way before she woke up. Being the Clan heir, Shadow expected her room to have a seal placed on it as to preserve the dignity of such a high-ranking member of the Clan from prying Byakugan eyes. During his preparation of the seals, Shadow felt the sudden rise of anxiety in the seal he had placed on Hinata, causing him to act faster than he intended.

With a flickering of intense light under the gloom of daybreak, Shadow found himself standing in what appeared to be a dojo. Wooden slatted walls surrounded a matted floor, illuminated by the morning rays that crept through the high windows found close to the ceiling on either flank of the room. His wonderment of viewing the inside of the Main-families dojo was halted by the reason for him being here in the first place.

The ANBU operative caught a sudden movement from within his supposed blind spot. He allowed the lunging palm to ease past his shoulder, dropping his body and turning quickly on his heel, catching the wrist of the attacker in his hand as if it were travelling with a precision learned through arduous hours of practice.

Shadow felt something that did not enter his mind all that often, surprise. His gaze caught the dead-behind-the-eyes stare of Hyuga Hiashi, who motioned with his eyes for the return of his arm. The vice-grip was one that could cause a clean break if anymore pressure was placed on it, but the Clan head did not allow his pain to show on his features. The ANBU complied with the man's wishes, bowing his head in the process.

"My apologies, Hyuga-sama. I acted solely on instinct and had no intention of causing you harm." His apology was hesitantly accepted by the noble figure who dropped his arms from a battle-ready stance. Despite his pride, Hiashi knew that there was little to no chance of him defeating the man in the black mask.

"I accept your apology, but that does not explain as to why _you_ are standing in the middle of _my _dojo at 6am. Your rather...flashy, entry has disrupted our training session." The infuriated Hyuga asked as he stared down one of Konoha's leading ANBU.

"S-shadow-san," an exhausted voice uttered out from behind him.

The blonde haired man looked around to be greeted by a sight that would stay with him for a long time. The unzipped jacket of the Hyuga Heiress hung loosely off her shoulders, showing off the tight-fitting mesh undershirt that covered her rather inviting figure. Her slender waist coupled with a chest that was the envy of most shinobi was intoxicating, even to his well-trained mind. Yet, the way her legs were splayed and her arms drooped by her side, accompanied by the constant heaving of her breasts as she gasped for air, signalled to Shadow that he had probably just saved her from collapsing from exhaustion.

His faded blue eyes began to move their gaze further up her body, noticing the beads of sweat that dripped over her milky skin. Her hair plastered to her face through the exertion of her activities, covering up one of her eyes. The other eye gazed at his charred mask before darting away as to avoid eye contact, whilst the rosy complexion of her cheeks was indistinguishable from exhaustion or embarrassment. Hinata smiled meekly as she felt his eyes caressing her skin, the blush on her cheeks rising with each passing moment.

"Hyuga-san," Shadow bowed at her slightly, almost smiling underneath his mask at the look on her face, before turning back to face her father.

"I am here because I was informed that your daughter has something that belongs to me." The emotionless voice of the black masked ANBU answered Hiashi's initial question following another bow. "However, the reason for me being here at this present time was because I felt the increasing anxiety and fatigue within Hyuga-sans aura. Naturally I assumed the worst and made haste to assist her."

Respect for more high-profile individuals was something that Naruto had ingrained into his new life. Every part of his old personality remained isolated from within his new identity. It served him well to maintain his anonymity among those whom he had lived amongst for over eighteen years.

"Well as you can see, you just disrupted our training session." Hiashi sighed. "Very well, I do not wish to get in the way of ANBU business. I expect you to be back here in twenty minutes, daughter." He turned away from the teenagers, walking towards the door to the gardens.

"Hai, otou-san," she replied as she turned back to the fabled shinobi. She waited rather impatiently for her father to leave the building.

As Hiashi left the room, he took one last look inside to his eldest daughter and the heavily scarred soldier. He smiled inwardly when he connected the dots. That flash was something he had seen far too many times over the course of his younger years, and the look on his daughters face said it all to him. Yes, that would explain her recent upbeat attitude. Hyuga Hiashi sighed with relief as he pulled the double doors to, leaving Hinata and Shadow alone.

"Naruto-kun," Hinata didn't hesitate, tackling him with such speed that he struggled to keep his balance, "I was so worried." As her head buried into the ANBU's chest-plate her words muffled gently into the silence, wrapping her arms around Shadow in a way that was so unfamiliar to him. The pure elation she was feeling at seeing him was one that came from seeing him outside of that hospital bed, but also knowing that he was okay after all this time of uncertainty.

This was the first time Shadow had felt such, sincerity. The despair he felt in her aura all but dissipated as she was able to feel that he was safe. Naruto couldn't help but smile beneath his mask at her actions. The teen felt so at ease that he didn't even realise that his arms had moved on their own returning the show of affection. He allowed himself the moment, before beginning to move away from his former class mate, feeling her arms still trying to hold onto him before finally releasing.

She looked so...happy. It was something Shadow knew he was about to crush, but he wasn't sure if he really wanted to. His intention was to distance himself once again. That way he could ease his mind from the conflict he had felt recently. But looking at her now, Kami she just made him feel something he couldn't even comprehend. The way her eyes looked at him so wantonly, and the way he could almost hear her heartbeat race as she looked upon him, it was all so infatuating.

"I'm okay," he replied nonchalantly as he ran his hand through his hair. "How are you feeling, Hyuga-san?" Shadow asked with genuine concern.

"Much better, all thanks to you. I-if you hadn't of s-saved me then..." Hinata couldn't finish what she wanted to say. Her throat tightened as she felt the tears she had held onto for so long explode from her softened eyes. All the pain she had felt recently came to a head. Naruto's disappearance, the conflict she felt when she thought about Shadow, how close she had come to almost dying at the hands of her deceased teammate. It was all too much for her.

It didn't matter how strong and distant of a facade Shadow was, seeing her in such a state pained Naruto. He had no idea how to comfort someone in such a position, and frankly he was asking himself why he wanted to comfort her. All these feelings, they seemed all too familiar to him in some way. It was exactly how he used to feel when he saw Sakura in a similar state, but whenever he tried to cheer her up all he got for his troubles was an uppercut and some rather unkind words.

This made him hesitant, yet at the same time he knew that Hinata was nothing like Sakura. She was kind, and sweet, and caring. All his instincts as an ANBU told him to leave there and then, but that little blonde orphan boy who spent his days trying to be acknowledged by everyone remained, if only a little.

Hinata flinched as she heard the sound of something clattering to the floor. Instinctively she pushed away from the armoured male, yet she remained none the wiser to the sound as her hands hid her tear-stained eyes. She felt something warm cupping her cheek. A stray finger brushed across her skin, collecting a tear that was trickling down her chin. The touch was so gentle that Hinata instinctively moved her hand over his, grasping it tightly as she opened her teary eyes.

"Please don't cry, Hinata. I will never let someone hurt you again. It's the promise of a lifetime." Shadow's words reminded her of the little boy she used to follow around endlessly.

As she opened her eyes, the petite young woman was greeted by Naruto's naked face for the first time since his birthday. Despite visiting Naruto in the hospital, his face had been covered by the dressings that hid the graphic burn he had obtained. That childish grin that could light up the room had been replaced by something much more solemn, but the smile he gave her was genuine all the same.

Still, the shock she felt was not entirely related to what he said, but rather his appearance. Kami it was hard to recognise him as the same person that she had grown up with. He looked so...beaten. Yes, the deflated look in his eyes shocked her more than any of the countless scars sporadically placed across his visible flesh.

She raised her other hand, moving it towards his newly acquired war wound. Naruto winced at the feeling of her soft cold touch on the highly sensitive skin on his cheek. If anything the sight of Naruto's damaged face hurt her even more, but she hid it for his sake. He had removed his mask and said those things to make her feel better. Crying even more would only make him feel bad too.

"D-does it hurt?" Hinata asked between her attempts to halt her tears.

"No," he replied. "The pain has numbed significantly since I healed the wounds."

"H-healed the wounds...?" she repeated quietly as she looked at the scar that crept beneath his armour strapping.

Hinata's elation of seeing Naruto had caused a bout of amnesia. Just yesterday the man stood before her was almost completely covered in bandages, trapped inside an unresponsive body. His right arm was being held together by the smallest slither of tendon and arteries. However, there had been a notable difference in the wound over the four days she had visited. Yet the same man stood before her, arm perfectly functional without any evidence of the affliction, aside from the darkened flesh.

"You sound surprised." Naruto chuckled.

The quiet laugh that emitted from his slightly curled lips took the dark-haired beauty by surprise. Then it dawned on her. "Kyubi," she uttered as he nodded in reply.

"With great powers come great health-care benefits." He _joked_ with her as he flexed the previously damaged shoulder, rotating it in the socket to brag about his healing abilities. At least that's how he acted. Naruto masked the unease he was currently feeling with all her worry.

No matter how Naruto was acting at this very second, Hinata could see it was just that...an act. He was putting on a show for her, one that screamed 'I'm fine, no need to worry about me'. Physically, Naruto was fine. That much she could see for herself. Yet that vacant stare that emitted from his dull eyes told her a thousand words. It pained Naruto to step out of the shadow of his alter ego. But at the same time, his actions told her one more certainty. Somewhere in that abyss that was Shadow, the young caring boy she fell in love with still existed.

Hinata smiled at his behaviour, before slowly approaching him once again. This time the Hyuga refrained from letting her heart control her actions. Instead, she reached to the floor, picking up the partially destroyed black mask that scared so many and handed it back to its owner.

Naruto didn't hesitate in fixing it back onto his face. The second the Kami forsaken mask returned to its rightful place, Naruto's shoulders seemed to relax as if a weight had been lifted. "Arigato," he said.

"Y-you're welcome," she replied before walking past him towards the only exit. "You're here for your Hitai-ite?" Hinata stated more than asked as she continued walking, closely followed the ANBU operative. Without reply, Shadow followed behind her.

They left the dojo in single-file, Shadow lagging a couple of feet behind the Hyuga heiress. At first he thought nothing of it. Wide corridors adorned with priceless artwork and rarities only a high-class family could afford kept his mind entertained. He knew from walking around his own domicile that the Namikaze and Uzumaki lines held priceless pieces of their own. Yet where the artefacts were few and far between in his home, here, they were every couple of metres. It captivated his mind. He studied every single item as they passed. He only looked away to avoid walking into the countless servants scurrying down the same halls, bowing at the heir and shying away from her company.

Hinata turned to the left into a different corridor. Instinctively Naruto followed. The lavish decor that had greeted him in the previous hallways had all but disappeared. If anything the walkway in front of him seemed bland. Where there would have been artwork on the walls, there were in fact doors. Functionality replaced lavishness in the sleeping quarters.

However, that wasn't what struck Shadow. With nothing else to avert his gaze, his focus was solely on the young woman walking in front of him. Her jacket had been zipped up since their departure from the dojo, hugging her waist tightly. Shadow found it difficult to control his own eyes. As much as he tried to fight it, they had become completely fixated on the hypnotic sway of woman's rear. With every second he stared, the more difficult he found it to drag himself away.

It was at the point where the ANBU member found himself imagining what she looked like beneath those clothes that he increased his stride length, catching up to her so that he walked besides Hinata. That was the only way he could feasibly stop his own train of thought. The Hyuga felt him quicken his pace, instantly deactivating her Byakugan. She had no intention of letting him know that she had examined him to the same extent.

"How did you know?" Naruto asked quietly as he fell into line.

"T-that is the only t-thing of yours that I have." Hinata stammered out, still flustered from her own ogling session. She answered the question assuming he was asking about the Hitai-ite. The briefest of silences followed before Shadow replied.

"...That's not what I meant," he let out. Naruto hesitated as he spoke. "How...how did you know of my _past_?" The last word was but a whisper, just in case there was anyone within ear shot.

Hinata's more confident nature that she had developed over the course of the war seemed to leave her instantaneously. She stopped dead in her tracks, for the briefest moment pressing her indent fingers together just like she used to as she was a child.

Meekly she replied, "The Hitai-ite" as if that explained everything. Despite the mask, she could tell Naruto was giving her a look of confusion. She steeled herself before speaking again.

"I-I gave it to you for y-your birthday, a-after I repaired it f-for you. When you s-saved me, I knew it was y-you." Beneath her reddening features she smiled at him.

"...That was you?" he asked as he digested the information.

"H-hai."

"So, all those years...every present that I got, with that same wrapping paper, tied in the same way, with that same message...all of those came from you?" It sounded as though he was accusing her, rather than asking. The tone of his voice hurt her a little.

"H-hai," Hinata replied as she looked away from him. She thought that he was upset with her, a look that didn't go unnoticed by the black masked ANBU. Shadow briefly glanced to either side, making sure to feel with his senses for anyone nearby.

Hinata didn't have time to react before hands grasping around her, holding her gently into the man's chest-plated armour.

"Baka," Shadow whispered into her ear as he held her tightly. "You should have told me sooner."

"Y-you're not angry with me?"

"Of course not, I just found out you were the only person who ever gave me a present as a child." Hinata could feel how happy he was. Elation filled his voice. The tone she had mistaken for anger had merely been the cogs turning inside his head.

"Thank you, Hinata." Naruto all but beamed as he released her from his embrace. He may have the appearance of the merciless ANBU who was known across the land, but for the first time, the Hyuga could feel the genuine warmth that used to radiate from Naruto.

From this they quickly fell back in line once again, walking down the hallway towards Hinata's bedroom. They were both quiet, yet there was a different air about both of them. The young dark-haired woman walked with a spring in her step. After months of heart ache, she had finally been given something to smile about.

The scarred soldier that towered over her seemed like an almost completely different person. Happiness was an emotion Shadow rarely felt anymore. He knew it wasn't good for his vocation, but at this very second he didn't care. All that anger and hatred for the state of the world seemed meaningless compared to the happiness he felt at this moment. And that scared him more than anything. Had he made a mistake in joining ANBU? Of neglecting his friends in order to protect them? Of pursuing the wrong girl?

Shadow considered many things as he continued walking besides the Hyuga Heiress. But one thing was for certain. He did so with a smile on his face.

* * *

Many things had happened in the five days since the return of the Allied Shinobi's mission into Amegakure. For the first time in months despair lingered in the hearts and minds of the people, in the streets and houses, and on the faces of the Hokages on the rock face. They may have been mere carvings chiselled into stone, but they had a look about them that reminded you of what was to come.

Both Shinobi and civilian alike had been given varying news concerning the outcome of the mission, in both an official and unofficial capacity.

Curfews that had become lax over previous months had been reasserted with a notable effect; many civilians remained indoors, almost neglecting the lives outside of their homes in fear of sudden attack. Reinforcements had been sent to the countries that adjoined with Amegakure, with Konoha acting as a staging area for the proposed mission to assault the growing forces within the country.

They may have little chance in defeating an army of Edo Tensei's, but they weren't going to go down without a fight. Reinforcements from all over the shinobi world, including the former 'Team Asuma', had arrived in Konoha over the past few days. Nara Shikamaru, like his father, was renowned throughout the Allied Forces as a military tactician. His involvement in the pre-emptive strike had been deemed as a must for the success of the mission. However, command of the five-thousand strong military unit - the largest formed since the early stages of the War – had been given to ANBU Commander Hatake Kakashi.

The rows of seats on either side of the elongated oak table were full of captains and commanders alike. Tsunade sat at the head of the table in the War Room, with Hatake Kakashi sat on her left draped in his standard Jounin garb, mask-less for the first time in an age.

To her right sat Nara Shikaku, perched between the Hokage and Nara Shikamaru. Despite being twenty-two years younger than his father, Shikamaru looked more like his twin than his son. The two years of hard conflict had aged him considerably. He even wore a scar much like his fathers, running across the crux of his nose down to his right cheek.

Each seat housed a member of the attack force, save for the solitary ANBU that stayed at Kakashi's side. The male figure wore a tattered white cloak that covered much of his body, save for the chipped mask that hid beneath the hood of his cloak. The stencil appeared as a boar, though the damage could easily mistake it for a bear. The latter would be more apt, as it fitted his hulking physique. His purpose was for defence more so than attack. He had been named acting commander whilst Kakashi was acting as leader of this sortie into enemy territory.

"Well, what great and wonderful plan you got for us?" called out the unmoving voice of Ao, section commander of Kiri-nins, and head of the sensory division.

He sat half way down the benches. Ao's directed his question at the Nara pair, tasked with planning out this potential suicide mission. Like many of the other seasoned shinobi, they were wary of every aspect of this mission. Intelligence that there are over eight-hundred un-dead, un-killable shinobi in one place so close to the homes of many men...well it was damn near frightening.

"Standard military procedure would dictate an encirclement campaign," Shikaku groaned lazily, waving his hand in the air as if turning the pages in an imaginary tactics manual. "...surround the forces on all sides, overwhelm them with superior numbers with no chance of retreat. They either yield, or die fighting."

Ao looked ready to interject, rising out of his seat in the manner that he did. But he was cut off by another droll voice taking the War Room.

"Of course, they're tactics 101, and _everyone _in this room should know how to do that." Some around the table muttered at that, before the younger Nara continued. "We have no way of killing or destroying an Edo Tensei soldier. Almost every person here will have seen one of the Akatsuki in battle. They've killed hundreds, if not thousands, and every time someone does them the same, they just regenerate. And if these reports are accurate, then there are likely to be at least a thousand of them. Therefore, usual tactics are shit."

Mutterings and japes filled the hall once again. _This was not the best way to start proceedings_, Kakashi thought to himself. He was hearing their report for the first time as well, yet he seemed to have a lot more faith in them than some of the others here.

"However, all is not lost. Given the accounts at hand from the recon mission, it seems most likely that Kabuto is the one with the power over this technique. And not only that, but he hasn't exactly been grave robbing for the world's greatest. The report shows the presence of so-called 'legends', but for every one of them, there were ten unknowns – Genin and Chuunin, the rank and file. That makes them every bit as vulnerable as us..."

"Aside from the fact that they can't die!" A young female in a red battle gown almost screamed out. She was in her mid twenties, a head of dark hair, and the daughter of a former General.

"That's true, but we can slow them down. That's the purpose for _you_ being here." Shikaku pointed to a female from Suna. "Maki is the head of the Sealing Division, and it will be her unit that bears the brunt of our efforts. We know they can't be killed, but they can be damaged and most importantly – they take time to regenerate. That time will be taken to immobilise them through various sealing techniques."

"How are we supposed to use sealing techniques against one Edo when another twenty will be trying to kill _us?_" Another sat around the table shouted out. "And who's to say that the sealing techniques will work anyway? Has anyone ever successfully sealed an Edo Tensei?" The voice was young, a foolhardy male in the Iwa colours, sat besides Kurotsuchi.

"I have," the nonchalant voice of the ANBU commander said as he raised his hand, "though there was a second Akatsuki member to free my hounds from Sasori. He was incapable of moving until my dogs were removed, and my techniques are inept compared to many in the sealing squad." Kakashi's visible eye squinted into one of those casual 'u' shapes that he often made when he smiled beneath his cloth mask.

That seemed to alleviate the young man's concerns, along with countless others...at least, for the moment.

"Judging by the rough estimations made by the recon squad, we will outnumber their ranks by four-to-one, and that excludes the sealing squad and their guards. The one-hundred-and-thirty under Maki's command will take three guards apiece, leaving us with a more than comfortable numerical advantage. Each person at this table will act as a unit commander, with seven sealers under your charge. Your goal will be to act as individual units within the homogeneous division under _my _command, attacking the grou –"

"I'm sorry, I think I misheard you, Shikamaru-kun. Isn't our youthful General Kakashi our acting commander?" Maito Gai cut in with his passionate display of loyalty to his eternal rival.

"If you'd let me finish, I'd explain it to you." Shikamaru grunted towards the senior Jounin before returning to his battle plan. "Each of your individual units of three-hundred will assume designated positions on each border of Amegakure, encroaching into their territory at the given signal. Take out any guards or patrols that you find."

Once again the young tactician was perturbed by another volley of interruptions, this time from a Kumo kunoichi. "That will completely obliterate the element of surprise. If one of those patrols has a single clone in it then they will know of our attack before we get within thirty kilometres of their base."

"That's what I'm counting on." He smiled almost smugly as she looked back at him in a state of shock. "In fact, I suspect that our plan will fall apart if they _don't _know that we're coming."

"You gravely underestimate Madara and Kabuto if you don't think they will be expecting an attack after letting the recon team escape." Shikaku picked up.

Shikamaru nodded curtly towards his father before continuing. "Including the sealing team and their protectors, a rough estimate of our division would place it at around five-thousand-five-hundred shinobi. There is no way we could sneak through the thick forests of Ame without being detected. And as my father already said, they will be on high-alert.

Each and every one of you will be actively taunting them out of their hole by attacking their patrols. If we're lucky, they'll split up their numbers and attack each unit, well away from their camp. If all goes to plan, all of their Edo Tensei's and their white-clones will be dispatched into the forests to defeat us, leaving the puppet with as little guard as possible."

"And that's where I come in?" Kakashi stated more than asked as he realised his position.

"Hai. Whilst we are battling on the forest floor against their main forces, General Hatake will be above the tree canopy, completely undetected. He will take a small unit of elite shinobi and go after Kabuto inside the underground structure, hopefully unimpaired by any resistance. We have no guarantees that killing Kabuto will stop the Edo's, so if the opportunity presents itself, interrogate him before you kill him. At least when he's dead he won't be able to create anymore of them."

Kakashi nodded in agreement along with the Hokage, and many of those around the elongated table. Some still held reservations, but over the course of the next hour of planning and fine-tuning, they had come around to the genius of the Nara's.

Once everyone had been assigned the rosters for their command units, the shinobi began to depart from the War Room in groups, discussing their positions and wishing other luck as the moved out to assemble their units. They had eight hours before they moved out, and some were seen leaving for the leisure district just to get a last bit of relaxation in the sauna's and bars before they embarked on their mission. Shikaku had gone along with them, heading to bar to cash in on the final business he expected.

Their voices echoed around the vastly emptier War Room compared to when it had been full of anxious shinobi. Four remained in their places at the head of the table discussing battle tactics and defensive strategies for Konoha. The boar-masked ANBU captain had been tasked with the duty of the city defences, one that he was being instructed on reverently by Kakashi and the Lady Hokage. Shikamaru sat with them, being given final orders by Tsunade before he too left the chamber, using the door whereas the ANBU captain left via shunshin...

"How much of that did you hear?" Kakashi called out.

"Um, since about the time Shikamaru sounded so very boring." From within the shadows a voice replied.

"So all of it then," Tsunade groaned as she popped the cork of an alcohol bottle between her teeth and started pouring into three dishes. "You should be in your hospital bed like a good shinobi."

Shadow stepped into view and approached the empty seat vacated by Shikamaru. The heels of his combat boots rung out on the stone floor as he walked, his Konoha Hitai-ite tied to his arm where it rightfully belonged. "I'm healed" was his reply as he slid into the seat and reached out towards the saucer of strong alcohol. As he lifted the saucer to his lips with his left hand, he shifted the damaged black mask with his right.

Tsunade eyed his movements carefully, her face never leaving his scarred shoulder. Only when his mask shifted to the left side of his face did Senju Tsunade avert her gaze away from his shoulder, onto his neck, and further onto his face. Shadow supped back the alcohol without a care in the world, regardless of the three eyes that were burrowing into his naked flesh.

"Something looks different, Naruto." Kakashi said. "Did you shave?"

Naruto only smirked in reply, but the freshly healed darker skin on the right side of face failed to mimic the command of his muscles. The skin tightened as his lip moved, causing his once perfect grin to become lopsided. Yet he almost dropped his drink when he felt a hand delicately caressing his cheek. The moment he felt the tinge of chakra being forced into his system he batted the hand away.

"You know my rule, Tsunade." Abashed, she removed her hand and did not try to heal the flesh again. He had done the same thing when she tried to heal the slash that ran from his eye socket, and the one on his back where he had taken a blade...and the countless others. "I know you mean well, but these are _my _failures and I'll wear them until the day I die."

"_Failures_, what failures? Naruto, you brought them back –"

"Not all of them."

"If you had failed then this village would probably be none the wiser to the threat that the team unearthed. Hell, we might even be dead!" Tsunade remonstrated with him as he filled his saucer for a third time.

"I promised you. I promised you before I left that I would bring them all back, and I didn't." His eyes finally chanced a look at hers, catching her gaze.

That dead stare that he offered her from those dull blue eyes was as painstaking as ever, yet there was something else in them. _A spark_. She looked at his eyes then glanced upon his Hitai-ite. Then she knew. She could see the pain of his 'failure', but the thing that was leaving his mind unruly was plain as day. _Hinata_.

"Don't be so hard on yourself, Naruto. You know as well as I do that the parameters of that mission were risky, and that was _before_ we found an army of Edo Tensei waiting for us." Kakashi reassured him as he set aside his empty saucer.

"I don't plan on beating myself up...I plan on _killing _Kabuto."

"You know procedure, Naruto." Tsunade's tone shifted from the caring medic to the stern leader. "Patients with extensive injuries are to required to partake in intensive recovery, and then need to be cleared by both a psychiatrist and a nurse for the trauma."

"Fuck procedure. The first thing I found out after waking up this morning is that the _Chief Medic_ has been my personal nurse whilst I've been unconscious. After she operated on me her memory should have been wiped." By now, Shadow was seething. He had given up drinking and shifted his mask back in its rightful place.

"Sakura is my student, and my Chief Medic. She won't betray my trust...and now that she knows your identity she will _never_ betray you, either."

Shadow didn't reply to that. Both Tsunade and Kakashi knew his views on the pink-haired medical kunoichi. Neither really expected his opinion to change overnight. Yet his defiance was sweet to his mind. Silent as a shadow he sat there, drilling a hole with his eyes into the Hokages skull...

"No doubt you'd be an asset to my squad, but I need you here. Boar has command of the defence, but you are our ultimate weapon." Kakashi pulled out a piece of parchment and handed it to Shadow. "Should we fail, the first thing they will do is to march on Konoha. A second sealing squadron will stay here in reserve, and they will be under _your _command." Kakashi said.

"What? My sealing knowledge is nowhere near good enough to lead such a squad." Naruto queried a look to his superior before glancing at the parchment.

"That has nothing to do with leading a squad, Naruto. I've been your commander for months and your teacher for years. You are more than capable of leading a squadron." Kakashi stated. "Besides, I know what you do inside Sensei's mansion. Those seals you have on your skin are a product of what you have learnt from the Uzumaki and Namikaze records. And don't forget what I saw on our mission -"

"It's incomplete. Minato could use it in the blink of an eye. I still need to activate it using the hand-seals. Travel time is significantly slower. And of the five times I've used it, it's only worked thrice, and I almost died one of the other times."

"Yet you can still use it." Kakashi smiled.

"You are more than capable of leading the reserve squad, Naruto." Tsunade reassured. "Is there any knowledge of the Edo Tensei within the archives?"

Naruto shifted awkwardly in his seat as he removed his pointed forearm guard to reveal a new tattoo, "I ran out of room on the under-arms" he said as he flicked his finger over the black ink.

The square of table allocated to his seat was overwhelmed by smoke as the seal activated. After it cleared, two scrolls remained. One had an elegant green patchwork with golden calligraphy etched into the material. Yet it seemed dated, worn out by continuous use. The other was thinner, much plainer in design. "This," he said as he pulled the tie loose, unravelling it along the table, "is Minato's personal research scroll into the resurrection technique devised by the Nidaime." When at its full length, the older scroll almost covered the breadth of the table, yet the majority was plain. The paper was aged, more yellow than white, and only a small segment had any form of writing on it.

"He didn't seem to get very far with it," Tsunade murmured under her breath as she concentrated on the text that was there.

"No, unfortunately he did not. There's not much there that we didn't already know, and it's incomplete. The last line finishes mid-sentence. My only reason as to why he didn't get any further is that he got disturbed whilst writing it...then died before he could finish it off." Namikaze Minato still felt like a touchy subject in Shadows mind. Knowing that you're the child of a Hokage meant relatively little in a world where he had been dead his entire life.

"And what about that," Kakashi pointed to the seal in the centre of the writing, "I've never seen that before."

"_That_, my good Sensei is the seal that the Nidaime's technique worked on. However, as all records show, the technique was a failure. Judging by the design, it seems to be closer to alchemy than ninjutsu. As we know from the data retrieved during Orochimaru's invasion, the Edo Tensei requires a human sacrifice for the un-dead soul to be bonded." At this point, Shadow untied the other scroll, placing it in front of the Lady Hokage. "_This_ is my attempt at carrying on where Minato left off."

The canvas was much smaller, but it was crammed full of details, some completely blotched out, others more prominently designated. Tsunade aligned the final seal on the page to the one on the Yondaime's scroll. Albeit a number of minute differences, they looked remarkably similar. "Please tell me you've not tested this yet." Tsunade asked, rather shocked with what she was being presented with.

"Not yet...though I have absolutely no intention of amassing my own army of un-dead. I'm just speculating as to the formula so that I can create a counter seal." At this point, Shadow had retrieved another scroll whilst Kakashi and Tsunade were focussing on the others.

He tossed it at Kakashi. When the silver-haired shinobi unravelled the scroll he found an intricate design. Three circles connected by interlocking segments of text and symbols were all that featured on the scroll. "If you come across any of them then use it. But I have absolutely no idea what it'll do. It could turn them, kill them...or do absolutely nothing for all I know."

"Understood," Kakashi nodded towards his former pupil as he stood up, tucking the scroll into one of the many pockets in his combat vest. "Good luck," Tsunade said as he took his leave.

"Naruto," Tsunade said sullenly, "I have a really bad feeling about this."

"Well, if all else fails I can just resurrect Ero Sennin. Maybe a new Icha Icha could sway Madara and Kabuto from killing us all." Shadow smiled beneath his mask as he gathered up his father's scroll and his own.

Through the small holes in his porcelain mask he caught the whimper from the Hokage as she heard that. Her moistened eyes glimpsed his dull blue ones. "You don't think they have, do you?" She queried.

"No, of course not –" Shadow said reassuringly, but his confidence was knocked back the second he said it. Tsunade caught the way his shoulders twisted and his head tilted...

"What is it?"

"I – I mean, theoretically – if they have his DNA they could. Anyone who has ever lived and they can get their hands on their remains. Everyone bar the previous Hokages." Tsunade nodded as the words sunk in.

"Go set up your unit, and show them your work. They might be able to help you." Tsunade ordered.

"Hai," Shadow replied as he stood to attention for the Hokage. Before she could say any more to him, he was already gone.

As Senju Tsunade left the War Room she had one horrible, shocking thought. _There is a good chance the only way we will win this war is if you make your own army, Naruto._ A terrifying thought, but one she could not get out of her head.

* * *

**Author Note:** Well, there you have it. I almost feel sorry for you for having to read that. I felt sorry for myself for having to write it...well, RE-write it. One of the reasons for the long delay is that I lost all my work, including this chapter. I lost all motivation to write it again, and I really struggled with it when I started writing again. I'm just happy my PC screwed up now and not this time last year, or I would've lost all my uni work when it mattered.

Anyway, if you enjoyed it, then great. If not, totally understandable. This chapter is effectively intermission. The Naruhina segment is always going to be relevent...I set up the next 2 or 3 chapters with the mission briefing, as well as Naruto's role in the mission. Whether or not Naruto sticks to that - well, that's a different story.

Thanks for your continued support, and as I said at the head: New fic, 'Darth Avarus: the Protector', I may have a new chapter for both up in the next month...hopefully.


	7. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, le sigh. **

**Author Note:** Yo. Not been on for a while. I've done a little bit of writing for the first time in a couple of months, and I churned out this. I don't really have anything else to say. Enjoy.

* * *

**Chapter 6**

It was akin to watching ants scurrying across the coarse sandy terrain from his vantage point. Rushing shinobi filled the streets below. ANBU and defence troops ignored them as they assisted in the evacuation of the non-combatants into the catacombs hidden within the Hokage monument. _"Maybe I should help out," _he mused as he sat atop the head of the Yondaime Hokage, analysing the scroll in his hand.

A list of names, some he knew, most he did not. Their meeting point was at the base of the monument, and Shadow had a habit of being early; a counteractive trait developed through years of having to deal with the abhorrent laziness of his Sensei. So far none had arrived, but that was expected. Those making their way through the streets were the advanced division, led by Hatake Kakashi. In ten minutes, five thousand men, women, brave shinobi all, would possibly be marching to their deaths in a battle to sway this Kami-forsaken war. It was a good four hours before the assembling of the reserve units, plenty of time to finish his preparations.

He sat in his own bubble. All his focus was on the seal that he had created to defeat the Edo Tensei. The dust-filled air seemed to wisp around him, the small tray on his lap covered with parchment unperturbed by the wind. Setting aside the list of personnel, Shadow retreated into the recluses of his mind, visualising each portion of the seal, memorising the accompanying text, before finally scrawling something out on the empty white paper before him. It looked no different from the one that he had given to Kakashi, which was a positive in that, nothing came to mind that could allow him to improve it. Yet he still felt inadequately under-skilled for such a task. Something was missing, he was certain of that.

"What is it?" Shadow asked before the woman behind him could open her mouth. His cold temperament made her bristle, but she managed to find her words.

"Boar-sama has chosen us to be your guards, Shadow-san." A woman's voice, yet she had the presence of someone no older than him. He raised his eyes from the parchment before him, looking at the stencil on the mask, and instantly noticing the peculiar purple coloured hair. _"A veteran"_ he contemplated quietly, as he noted the other two ANBU behind her, two fairly wiry men, with masks that had adjoining stencils. Each bore the white cloak of a captain. He didn't know every mask in ANBU, but he was fully aware who these three were.

"Shouldn't you be protecting the Lady Hokage, Yugao-san?"

Bemused at the question, the elder assassination expert inclined her head towards her charge. "Our orders are to protect the leader of the reserve sealing division. Boar-sama and Leader-sama have arranged for another unit to guard Hokage-sama."

"Well, as you can see, I am my own guard." Before she could reply, she caught the startled gasp of one of her team, moments before she felt the blunted edge of a standard-issue katana around her throat.

They'd been caught completely unawares. All three had been captured by copies of the black-masked ANBU before they could even interject. All the man did was sit there reading over the list as he waited for them to strike. He was almost pleased when each of his clones was dispelled by their efforts. With each of them free, the male on the left began to approach the kneeling rookie, only to be stopped by the firm grasp of his squad leader.

"Did we pass your little..._test?_" Yugao almost hissed at him, before standing to attention once again.

"With flying colours," he replied as he leapt to his feet, walking towards her as the rising sun glistened against his damaged mask, "and here's your first job." Shadow thrust the list into her hands. "Round them up. I don't want any drunkards or latecomers. I know they still have four hours, but I have things I need to run by the rest of the division."

"Hai, Shadow-san." With that they were gone. Testing them was probably the wrong thing to do during this delicate time, but he needed to know that those whom he trusted his life to could actually be capable of the task. The kage-bunshin's had only been created with the level of that as a standard Chuunin, probably the lowest level of combatant they should come against. _"Any higher and they might've had to break sweat," _he thought as he pondered on the possible charges for accidentally killing an ANBU.

Satisfied, Shadow leapt off his father's monument, free-falling momentarily before landing perfectly on the hard cobbles below. Dust kicked up at his face, harmlessly bouncing off the exterior of his black mask. A field-tent had already been erected in the open square, large enough to fit his two-hundred strong unit. He had plenty of time to set up his meeting. A hundred fully trained sealers would be better than just him for working out the intricacies of this Edo Tensei seal. He just hoped he had enough time. But he hoped even more that they wouldn't be needed.

* * *

For once in his life, Hatake Kakashi was on time. He stood atop the fifty-foot stone wall, shouting out instructions to the aides hurrying around beneath him. The open stalls that usually cluttered the expanse stretching from the main gate to the inner river that cut through the village had been completely gutted. Those on wheels had been carted off into side streets. More solidly founded stalls were stripped bare, with the promise of reconstruction upon the return of the division. The remaining emptiness acted as a staging area.

Thousands of faces gazed up at him from within their segregated ranks. Unease, determination, fear, pride, anger, sorrow; every face told the Commander a different story. Through the orchestral noise of five thousand shinobi chattering, occasionally he picked out the rough screams of unit captains barking their orders to their soldiers. As his aides scurried between the ranked blocks, so too did the stragglers, trying to find their units by using the numbered flags flying above head behind each unit.

"It's almost time," Kakashi muttered through the cloth that dangled over his lips.

Four others stood atop the wall. The first – clad in a tattered captains white cloak and a boar stencil on his aged mask – gave one look to the Leader of the ANBU, before disappearing in a purple haze. The second was Kakashi's second-in-command, the young Nara. He vanished in a swirl of leaves, reappearing beneath the wall at the head of the columns. The two that remained were part of the Commanders own unit. The first, a buxom blonde from Kumo, the second, a pale-faced shinobi clad in black with a parchment and painting brush in hand.

"Alright," Nara Shikamaru all but whispered at the wall of noise. Some had already taken notice of the Tokubetsu Jounin, but his nonchalant tone did nothing to make an impression on the majority.

Something dropped to the earth beside him. He felt the impact in his knees, but he had no time to look over his shoulder before a deafening roar overcame him. The primordial scream echoed around the open space. Some covered their ears, whilst others almost fell over at the sudden sound. Everyone fell silent. That's all that was required.

"Alright," Shikamaru repeated, this time with the full attention of the Division, "It's time to move out." The ink lion prowled at the side of the acting-Commander, occasionally growling as it purred. "I hope that everyone has been given the basic orders. Unit one shall head out with unit sixteen. At the allay point, one goes north-east, sixteen goes north-west, meeting on the other side of Amegakure. Two with fifteen, three with fourteen, and so on. When you are in your positions surrounding the target, the communications units shall check-in with me, and we shall all march into enemy territory. Standard two-by-two formation to maximise cover and defence. Sealing units will be evenly spread through each division, with their own guards. Protect them at all costs. On the move, make as much noise as possible. If you see any patrols, attack them. The whole purpose of this mission is to attract the main forces away from their den of operations so that General Hatake's objectives will be made easier. Is that understood?"

"_**Hai!**_" Five-thousand-five hundred voices replied in unison. The sound almost matched the roar of the faux lion.

"Move out," Shikamaru called out as he walked in between the two advancing units. Unit one was under the command of Ao of Kirigakure, with Maito Gai at the head of the column marked sixteen. Six hundred faces passed by in the blink of an eye. Some he knew, most he had come across at some point over the war. Very few he didn't know. His heart panged as he saw the hulking features of his best friend, jogging a full-head above the rest of Gai's platoon. Chouji gave his oldest friend a quick glance, accompanied with a sheepish grin before averting his gaze back to the front of the column.

Units two and fifteen followed close behind. Hyuga Neji took the head of one of the units, with a fully armoured samurai heading out with the other. The stoic branch-family member had an air about him, something in his stare made Shikamaru look twice just to make sure. Fear. He could see it plain as day. Hyuga Neji laughed in the face of fear, well, he would do if he actually laughed. All the branded Hyuga managed was a small nod, before shouting for his unit to follow him. Shino, Lee, Karui, Chojuro, and a few other familiar faces flashed him by. _"Turn back and go hide with the civilians,"_ he wanted to scream at them all.

Eight more units passed him by. Field commanders, old instructors, friends, and former enemies passed him by. The only ones that were yet to pass from the 'Rookie eleven' were, Kiba (deceased), Naruto (M.I.A), Hinata (Recovery), Sakura (Medic Chief assigned to the defence unit), and Ino. Fortunately his fellow teammate had been placed into his own unit. Almost everyone that Shikamaru knew personally had headed out in front of him. The ninth platoon was all that remained in the now-empty staging area. The six-hundred strong unit was bolstered due to their position in the assault. They had been given the task of approaching from the Konoha border, a route that passed directly through the capital.

Waving at the back of heavy-set columns, the flag bearing the kanji for 'nine' was discarded in the pile at the way-side. Ino, alongside Temari - his acting Lieutenant - stood at the head of the mass of green boys and seasoned shinobi. "Okay, let's move," Shikamaru said with as much vigour as was capable. He had to admit even he was struggling to keep his calm in this situation. They marched eight abreast through the open gates of Konoha, passing into the open stretch of path between the two columns of thick-trunked trees.

Thirty shinobi remained. The 'Special Division' was brimming with elites, some plucked from ANBU, others from the respective branches of the other Shinobi villages, all of which were veterans in this War.

Kakashi darted off the wall, closely followed by Samui and Sai. Aoba and Yamato headed the contingent of Konoha shinobi. Behind them, Hyuga Ko and Kurenai. The Lady Hokage had initially removed the members of reconnaissance unit from active duty, but due to the severity of the situation had reduced their punishment for disobeying direct orders during wartime. Kakashi trusted Kurenai with his life, but he still had to think about her addition to his unit. Yet, her inclusion, along with Kankuro, was beneficial for the sake of their disposition of being able to navigate through the enemy territory.

"Tenzou," General Hatake called as he approached, "everyone ready?"

The former ANBU Captain nodded in reply, though he motioned to the back of the squadron. Bizarrely there was an additional member, though the presence of the female of average height, flowing blonde hair, dull blue eyes, and a hitai-ite tied around her neck, almost stifled a laugh from Kakashi. He motioned for the others to head on, the order fulfilled by Yamato, immediately heading off along with the remainder of the unit.

Kakashi stared at the young woman briefly, before motioning for her to join. As they crossed the threshold of the village, they were already two-hundred metres behind the rest of the unit. Kakashi slowed so that they eked out the distance.

"The first time you've shown your face in public in years, and you use this?" Kakashi couldn't help but laugh. The mask would give the game away, and showing his real appearance in public would be just as detrimental. "I take it Tsunade doesn't know about this, Naruto?" Kakashi kept his voice low, making sure no one was listening in.

"That she does not. But try not to get me killed. Boss will go mental if I'm dispelled." She had such a sweet voice, tempered with a sultry overtone that accompanied the abomination that was the Orioke no Jutsu. It was hard to think that such a pretty face belonged to a kage-bunshin of a demon in human form. Kakashi advanced without saying a word, with the clone following closely behind.

In six hours they would be in position. Then all hell would be breaking loose.

* * *

"Move it, move it. Come on, we don't have all day..."

The ruckus in the Hokage tower was starting to get to Tsunade. It had been like this for a week, and even with five-thousand fewer bodies, it was still as hectic as ever.

"Hey, get those reports to the defence units...I don't care if you're busy, now damn it."

The voices were seeping through her thick wooden doors. There was nothing much else she could do now. The invasion force had been deployed, and the defence units were being assembled under the joint command of Shikaku and Morino Ibiki, the acting ANBU commander. She could see Naruto's reserve sealing unit slowly taking a somewhat rag-tag shape by the tent beneath her window. Sakura was busy prepping the operating theatres, and stocking the temporary medical tents along with her fellow nurses.

There wasn't much left for the Hokage. That was what she hated most, the waiting.

"Forget the paperwork for a minute. We need a hand with the food stores."

Tsunade glanced across the courtyard from her window. Aside from those heading towards the tent beneath the Hokage monument, the streets were as dead as the army at their gates. The civilians were nowhere to be seen, and the defence units were assembling at the gates. It looked almost peaceful, yet she quickly replaced the thought with that of a ghost town. She envisioned streets covered in blood, and that frightened her. Was the invasion doomed to fail from the start?

No, she couldn't think like that. She refused to let herself. The Lady Hokage pushed herself away from the window, moving back to her desk. As her rear hit the chair, a quiet knocking rattled against the door.

"Come in," Tsunade called. She had planned on doing some medical training, but the distraction could be what she needed...that was until she saw who opened the door.

"Hokage-sama," the flowing indigo locks appeared to say, until the woman raised her head from the bow.

She donned her Chuunin-issue combat vest. A light purple coat hung off her shoulders, covering her arms so only her dainty hands could be seen. A Hitai-ite dangled around her neck like a prized jewel. Her cumbersome boots made a ruckus as she stepped into the room, yet the young woman had the poise of a trained dancer as she walked. A weapons pouch neatly wrapped its way around the right thigh of her dark blue trousers.

Yet none of that mattered to Tsunade.

For the first time in months, Hyuga Hinata looked happy, with a fiery determination brimming in her pale eyes.

"I take it you're here to contest my decision about your operational status?" Tsunade leaned back into her seat as she motioned for the Hyuga Heiress to sit down.

"Hai, Hokage-sama." For once she didn't fret, or fidget, or stammer. She looked her dead in the eyes. "The rest of the Konoha Eleven have been drafted to some capacity. The other members of the recon team have been deployed. Neji nii-san has been given command of a unit, my father is part of the defence unit. Even Hanabi has been drafted into the sealing reserve unit." Tsunade could tell the whole thing irked her by the way she spoke. It was undeniable that Hinata was happy, yet it was equally easy to see that she felt neglected in her duties.

"I understand how you feel, Hinata. But we spoke about this in the mission debriefing: You need to be cleared both physically and mentally before we can allow you to rejoin the ranks." Placated, Tsunade raised her hand for the sake bottle, only to realise that she had already finished it off earlier.

"I have been training every day," at this point, she tossed a small roll of parchment along the desktop. "My father has given my fitness levels the all-clear."

Tsunade carefully studied the scroll, taking note of Hiashi's signature and mark. No doubt the note could be a fraud, but Hiashi carried his seal on his person at all times, like the other clan heads. The note gave Hinata a stamp of approval, so much to say that Hiashi had added that her physical abilities had improved over the past week, more so than his training had accounted for.

"This is all good and well, Hinata, but we still need to take care of the psychological examinations before – "

"I'm fine, in fact, I'm better than I have been in a long time." She smiled curtly, before sliding into the chair opposite the Hokage.

"_She's calmer than almost everyone else in this building," _she thought, sighing as she felt herself giving in. "Fine," she appeased, "seeing as I don't have anything to do, we can do this now. I may not have the ability to read your mind like a Yamanaka, but I'm more than capable."

"Hai, Hokage-sama."

They began with the bog-standard questions they always did. It wasn't the first time Hyuga Hinata had been in this situation, in fact, it had been her eighth. All shinobi were required to have a bi-annual examination during wartime. The scheduled checkups had come and gone, but she had also been required to have a further three due to injuries sustained in the field. Through her repeat visits to the medics, Hinata had learnt the ways to pass the psychological tests, but today she had no reason to cheat.

Tsunade threw the entire examination manual at the young Hyuga, and she answered every question, every simulation, and every scenario within the allowed response parameters. Being the Hokage, Tsunade was privy to all medical records of her Shinobi, and she couldn't believe the change in the Hyuga.

"You've seen him, haven't you?" The guilty look that surfaced betrayed her feeble attempt to say "who." With a smile, Hyuga Hinata nodded.

"That idiot, there's already enough people who've figured it out already. I should really make him dye his hair or something." Hinata couldn't help but laugh as she watched the Hokage sighing into an empty bottle of Sake.

"You can trust me, Hokage-sama."

"I'd like to think so, Hinata. He may not realise it yet, but he needs his friends around him, even more so now." Tsunade rustled around in her desk, eventually finding what she was looking for. A heavy thud against the table and that was that.

Hyuga Hinata was reinstated.

* * *

"Hey hey, why the hell do I have to be here so early? I was busy drowning my sorrows when you..." One of the male ANBU was almost dragging along a seasoned Kumo sealer. His slurred complaints halted when they approached the entrance to the field-tent.

A solitary figure stood waiting at the open flap, staring down at the roll of paper in his hand. His head inclined in the direction of the commotion created by the middle-aged male. The person's body was blurry, save for the mask; a black mask with thinning blood-red flames sprouting from where the mouth would be. Even at such a distance it was crystal clear in the dazed man's eyes.

"I suggest you sober up. Fast." The masked man propping him up seemed to call out from the distance. The bite in his voice seemed to shake the man from his drunken stupor.

"H-hai," he replied meekly as he shook himself off, instantly straightening himself up. His legs felt uneasy, yet he managed to walk unassisted.

It was a good job he had the insight to relieve himself before he let the ANBU drag him out of the bar, because his bladder felt tighter than it ever had walking past the infamous Shadow. The ANBU inclined his head towards the commanding officer. The sealer tried to do the same, but he quickly averted his gaze as darkened yellow eyes glared back at him. He quickly darted past him.

"Name," the Kumo shinobi stopped dead in his tracks. He felt as though he had been caught in a paralysis technique. One word, yet it was filled with so much wrath.

"Y-yukko Ishi," he replied meekly before stepping into the brimming tent.

"You didn't have to do that," Yugao called out from the inside of the tent after the drunken man had moved far enough into the tent. "He was the last person to arrive."

"And he shouldn't have been so drunk that he needed your teammate to hold him up. Even I haven't had a drink before this mission." He spoke as if that was some great achievement, to which Yugao could only tut beneath her mask. Shadow rolled up the parchment and pushed it into one of his trouser pockets, before pulling the tie on the tent flap. It fell behind him, fluttering against his back as the wind gushed into the packed tent. He stopped as he felt a presence closing in.

Instinctively, he rushed back outside, watching as she came into view from the shadow of the Hokage tower. Waiting patiently, he watched Hyuga Hinata stride confidently across the courtyard, donning full-combat gear. It was the first time in years Shadow had seen her in her Chuunin vest. Her confidence drifted away when she felt his eyes bathing her. The self-assured strut devolved into something more akin to the meek footsteps she used to make when she was a fresh Genin out of the academy. He would've smiled if his focus hadn't been placed solely into his command. She closed the gap between the two, until she was almost touching him.

"Hyuga Hinata reporting for duty, Shadow-sama." She spoke with authority, tapered with a rosy blush. She was a good few inches shorter than him, so she had to incline her head slightly to gaze into those fearsome yellow eyes. If she ignored the mask, the illusion of his alter ego was that, an illusion. They were still _his _eyes, only _he _could have such ruffled blonde locks.

"Funny, I didn't see your name on the list." Shadow spoke true, but there was a playful streak in there, one that Yugao caught through the material-thin walls of the tent. Before the black-masked ANBU could reach into his pocket to pull out the unit papers, Hinata thrust something into his hand. Her fingers lingered on the rough skin for a moment, before she let go of the paper.

Shadow raised the small scrap into view of the eye holes in his mask, seeing the mark of approval from the Godaime.

"What's that old hag trying to pull this time...fine." He sounded like a bratty little kid complaining about a grandparent. ANBU quickly learnt the art of 'hearing without listening' on their guard duties, though Yugao was listening rather intently on this occasion. "Do you have any sealing abilities," she heard him ask, to a resigned "no" from the Hyuga girl.

"Very well. There's no such thing as having 'too many shinobi'. I'll assign you a protection detail after the briefing." His voice had returned to the more authoritative tone, Yugao noted.

"Hai, Shadow-sama," was her reply as they breached the tent together. They were so close that it looked as if they were holding hands. The female assassination expert had to look twice to make sure that they weren't. As their hands brushed together, Shadow immediately raised his, pointing towards the far left corner of the tent. "Your sister is over there if you want to say hello."

She nodded before weaving through a number of standing figures, disappearing into the crowd. For a moment he just stood there, watching until he couldn't see her dark-toned hair any longer. Yugao coughed to catch his attention. "Should we begin?"

He hated the way she said that. Beneath that mask he could tell that she was smirking. Without warning he disappeared in a flash of light.

"If you'd all take your seats," a voice called out from the pedestal besides the main support beam in the centre of the tent.

Yugao turned quickly towards the sound of the voice. _"He's quick," _she mused. As she watched, two blank-masked ANBU members passed her, moving out into the harsh light of day. She hadn't noticed the presence of any other ANBU, but as she looked across the breadth of the room, she counted no fewer than eight of her kin – ten including the two outside, though she felt two more at each of the other exits – those she could see each wearing a blank white mask.

The murmurs and conversations abruptly ended all around the field-tent, shortly followed by a ruckus as people moved about frantically to get into their seats. Shadow stood at the centre of it all, patiently waiting for everyone to position themselves accordingly. Two banks of seating organised into a square around the support beam were filled by all one hundred sealers, with a further sixty shinobi. The remaining one-hundred-and-forty-one shinobi bunched in behind the seats, finding a position to see the black-masked ANBU.

Yugao noted that, whilst the division were bunched as close to the centre of the room as possible, the eight white-masked shinobi stood to attention on the edges of the tent. Her suspicions got the best of her, leaving her post to approach one of said shinobi. One look into their eyes and she knew, _"kage-bunshin's."_

Taking in the moment, Shadow felt a sudden cringe of uncertainty. Sure, he had taken control of commands before, but they were in the heat of battle under difficult circumstances. He thrived on pressure. This – albeit a high pressure situation – was something else entirely. Three hundred faces were looking up at him, young and old, rookies and veterans, looking to him to lead them accordingly in a field he was a relative novice. Seals had only come into the forefront of his abilities upon attaining his heritage a few months ago. Factor in that he'd spent the last three months working alone or on two-man-cells. He couldn't help feeling particularly out of his depth, especially with the largely negative feeling about the tent. Not to mention the abhorrent aroma of alcohol whirling around the tent. _"Half of these people are drunk as skunks_._" _The withdrawn faces, heads sagging to the side being propped up by jotted arms, some even napping. _"What would Kakashi-sensei do?" _The teenage anti-hero tasted metal on his tongue as he bit into his lip. Blood calmed him.

"First of all, may I apologise for dragging you all here prematurely." A couple of people gasped in surprise, whilst others just sat there, eyes fixated on the infamous assassin. "Now that that's out of the way, we may begin."

"_Not much of an apology, reminds me of someone I know."_ Yugao thought as she retreated to her position.

"Our role is pretty straightforward. At the allotted time, we are to head down to the wall to back up the defence unit. As the sealing team it's our job to stop the Edo Tensei. Your normal sealing techniques should be adequate for stopping their advances, though if you're against more than one Edo at a time then you're fucked. The other Edo will just destroy the seal, so it's a good idea to double up in battle with another sealer, or make sure you're near a large enough group of Allied Shinobi so that they can damage one whilst you seal..."

"Yeah yeah, we already know this. Maki-sama already gave us the ins-and-outs yesterday." The disgruntled voice paused to yawn. "Don't tell me I've been dragged away from my drinking because some bratty kid got his first command."

Shadow spun towards where the antagonistic heckle came from. An aging man wearing the sandy shades of Suna stared intently at the gaze of the hardened ANBU rookie. His cheeks were rosy with alcohol consumption, and he slumped in his chair as if he could barely stand.

In the blink of an eye Shadow was in his weapons pouch.

A kunai embedded itself in the wooden floor, after making a weird clanging sound that cut through the entire tent.

The younger rookies didn't have a hope of seeing the movement, thinking that he simply threw the kunai at the Shinobi's feet, but you could tell by the two hundred faces that stared at him in awe that was the wrong assessment. Shadow jumped off his small stage and walked towards the small metallic shard. As he picked up, he made sure to make eye contact with the shaking man, holding his head as if the kunai was stuck in it.

"Next time I won't miss, is that understood?" Shadow asked loudly enough that everyone could hear, as he slipped the knife back into his weapons pouch. In a moment he was back on his platform, noting how intently everyone was looking at him. If they didn't take him seriously before, they certainly did now. "Let's continue, shall we..."

"Why's everyone so uptight now, all he did was throw a kunai in the ground," a young girl, no older than fourteen, whispered to the boy next to her. Hinata listened in from behind them.

"Moegi, be quiet," the boy said even quieter than the girl, "he threw it at his head, but he missed and it bounced off his Hitai-ite."

The girl looked mortified, just as much so as the boys stood either side of her. "H-hai, Konohamaru-kun."

"That's not quite right, Konohamaru-san," Hinata found herself with her head resting on his shoulder, whispering into the ears of the young Chuunin and his teammate. "He didn't miss; he aimed for his Hitai-ite. Killing a perfectly good sealer would be pointless. Shadow-san was just making sure that he didn't get anymore interruptions." Hinata motioned for them to look around the room. Everyone was tense, upright in their seats, listening intently to every word the black-masked ANBU was saying, even if they had heard it before. Konohamaru nodded slightly, before he felt the pressure on his shoulder ease. Hinata retook her position, stood behind the row of seats, in between himself, and her sister Hanabi.

"...at all times you should be protected by your guards. If they fall, retreat to the headquarters so that you can either get a new protection detail, or help out with defence in some other fashion." Shadows deep and muffled voice had somewhat faded since he started speaking. "Once we're done here I'll assign you your two shinobi. If you're one of the lucky ones, you'll get one of my Kage-Bunshin's. I know that doesn't sound like much, but I'm sure if any of you bothered to read the briefing material, then you will know that my clones matched the Edo Tensei'd Seven Shinobi Swordsmen of the Mist, one-on-one."

"_Cocky shit," _Yugao was bemused, yet it was clearly true. Hatake Kakashi's report said exactly that. Kakashi took on Zabuza, whilst his teammates Bunshin's took on the other six. _"To think that he has the ability to gauge his clones to such a degree that he can send out Chuunin's against me, but high-ranking Jounin's against them. Just what is he?!"_

"Now that all the basic stuff is done, I'll tell you why we're all here so early." A droplet of blood fell off the base of Shadow's black mask. In a swift movement, he caught it in mid-descent. Smoke enveloped him for a moment. As it cleared, he stood at the centre of four identical boards, each facing outwards towards the rest of his unit. They came to about the height of his lower torso, allowing him to easily see over the tops. "Some of you may be aware of what this is...others not so much."

For the first time in the briefing there appeared to be a real sense of attention. The eyes of the sealers were fixated on the boards holding four identical scrolls filled with an intricate seal. The standard shinobi seemed to have alerted themselves to the bizarre etchings, but their untrained minds merely stared in wonder, incapable of deciphering the knowledge of the script. No one even noticed Shadow leave his position.

Hinata's heart was pounding. She had seen this before. Instincts got the better of her. She wanted to run, faster than she ever had before. It had only been a week, but she had tried her hardest to purge that memory from her mind. Stumbling through the lines of shinobi behind her, Hinata was about bolt from the tent. Yet as she turned, she stumbled into something. She tried to apologise, only to match the person's eyes.

"Don't run away. I need your help with this." The panic subsided the instant she felt the gentle tones of Shadows voice. He all but whispered, his hands gripping tightly onto her shoulders as he looked into her fretful eyes.

"Y-you have...mission report..." He only caught a handful of the words that escaped from her lips as the tent began to erupt. The more adept sealers had begun to suss the puzzle placed in front of them.

"I know, but I wasn't expecting you to be here in person." Shadow sighed as he fiddled with a charred clump of porcelain that seemed be coming off. "I can't imagine what it was like to see that. But you are a Shinobi, and I am your commanding officer. Do I need to make this an order?" The harshness returned between his even breaths.

Hinata looked at those shining yellow eyes. Really looked. What seemed like such a vacant expression was just as false as the facade Naruto wore on his face. They burned with the same passion they always had.

"I'll protect you," he said so quietly that she could barely hear it over the racket behind her. The words meant nothing. She already knew from the look in his eyes.

"You bastard! Are you such a monster to create your own Edo Tensei?!" A number of people sat around the conference hurled similar remarks as he returned to his perch, a kunoichi of the Hyuga Clan in tow.

Many had noted the ring of plain-masked ANBU stood at the extremities. Some were beginning to feel boxed in, like they were caged beasts ready for some horrific experiment. Shadow noted that the majority of people had chosen to store such thoughts. It felt weird being given the benefit of the doubt from fellow Shinobi whom often considered him to be nothing more than a killer.

Pure killing intent swept across the pavilion. The furore of the minority stowed for the moment, yet there was tenseness in the air that Shadow had almost hoped he'd never been given this detail.

"If that had been what Hokage-sama had ordered, then yes." Hinata felt chills creeping up her spine, yet she stood at his side, unflinching. "I've been trying to create a counter seal to _stop _the Edo Tensei."

At this point, Shadow pushed his palm into the back of one of the boards. Parchments appeared all along the tabletops, each with the same pattern of etchings laid out on the otherwise bare paper.

"Using the research materials of the Nidaime and the Yondaime, I have managed to construct a prototype," he paused. "I haven't tested it yet, so Commander Hatake will be given that wonderful job. They are about two hours away from making first contact, so that's why I changed the time for our briefing."

The muted response showed as a sign of understanding from Shadow's perspective.

"I'm not naive enough to believe that my skills outrank a hundred others." He turned to the silent female besides him, directing thee-hundred sets of eyes on her. "Also, the Lady-Hokage has assigned the lovely Hyuga Hinata to our division. Her participation in the reconnaissance mission got us the information for this full scale assault, so if you need any further assistance outside of her mission report, then she's right here."

She gave him a sheepish look at first, but the confidence she had strolled into the Hokage's office seemed to resurface as she stood beside him.

"Let's get on it; we're on the clock here." Shadow watched silently as every face looked towards their individual scrolls, intent on success.

* * *

There was something about this rain. The moment they stepped foot into Ame territory, it was like travelling through a climate wall. Continual downpours were reported from all entry points. Shikamaru issued the advance order, but it was weird. Not a single patrol had been spotted. Not a single enemy killed. A telepathic connection was constantly maintained through the feats of the Yamananka, so the acting commander was certain that they hadn't lost any of their forces.

An hour's march into Amegakure and nothing had changed.

Yet, they could tell they weren't alone.

"Alright, the village is within sight. Notify all divisions to halt and wait for us to sweep the city. Have units ten and eight circle round as a precaution." Acting-Commander Nara Shikamaru ordered, to which his childhood friend replied with momentary silence.

"Done, Shikamaru."

"Sensor-nin and Sealers double up. Judging by the report, there shouldn't be any civilians left in the village. Everything we've seen so far is pointing to a trap. Don't let your guard down even for a second." The order came, and the reply was swift.

Six hundred bodies shot away from their position on the shore of the lake that surrounded the Hidden Village in the Rain. Shikamaru's group waited briefly, before setting off at similar speed.

The sweep was thorough, especially with the abundance of sensor-nin woven in to each group. Each unit took one building at a time, measuring every structure for chakra and movement from the outside, before starting the internal sweep. With each floor that Shikamaru's unit passed through, the more they felt the pain of this city. Apartment buildings were torn to pieces, garments and personal belongings flung all over as the inhabitants were most likely forcefully ejected. The more buildings they swept through, the worse the situation appeared.

It was like the entire village had been rounded up at the drop of a hat. Men, women, and children, regardless of their ability or station had been dragged from their apartments and homes, all for the benefit of a madman and his ambition. Occasionally they passed a body. It still hurt all the same when he saw the bloodied corpse of a child. All he could think about was Asuma's boy. He'd be coming up to four now.

Ino knelt beside the battered body, turning them so they could check for vital signs. It was a long shot, but they had to make sure. As she began to roll the child over, the resident Yamanaka heard a light sizzling before she noticed the seal on the young girl's chest.

"Look out!" She managed to scream in warning for the explosion that followed. The entire apartment was engulfed in flames. Ino's cries managed to alert the others in the room. Shikamaru watched on in horror as his life-long friend went up in flames.

"Ino!" He cried out, as his partner managed to drag him away from the doorway before the flames spread out into the hallway. Temari gripped his shoulders hard, almost dragging him from the apartment.

Madara was non-descript with his acts of war. There was no one who was untouchable for this man and his destruction, not even the body of a murdered child. Shikamaru glared along the corridor as he watched the flames. It didn't matter how much Temari screamed at him, he didn't move. He was waiting for his teammate to appear via a shunshin or a replacement. Yamanaka Ino was a Chuunin, a war veteran. She wouldn't be killed by some trick.

Yet, the seconds passed by, and still she did not reappear.

Through the breaths of her tirade to get the acting Commander to heed her words, the Jounin from Suna heard more explosions. Looking out of the stairwell window, she could see slivers of smoke coming from various buildings from her limited view. Their unit wasn't the only ones to suffer.

"Shikamaru, we need to go!" Still no answer. Then she did something that she never thought was possible for her, she slapped him across the face. "Commander Nara, get your ass in gear right now or the rest of us will be gone too!"

Somehow, it was enough to get through to him. Through the tears in his eyes, he managed to see her. Belatedly, Shikamaru acknowledged the rest of his team, before moving up the stairwell heading for the roof.

When the summit of the ornate skyscraper was reached, acting Commander Nara Shikamaru watched on as plumes of dark smoke cut through the near-deafening downpour. Flames roared from a nearby building, yet he could just make out the squadron coming from the stairwell.

"Commander! Reports are coming in from most squadrons. There have been a number of causalities from the resulting explosions. We lost an entire squad in the eastern quadrant as an apartment block collapsed. No signs of any enemy activity though. Orders?" With Ino M.I.A, another member of the squad had taken command of the communications. Shikamaru didn't pay any attention to the voice, merely the words as he looked at the destruction around him.

"Tell everyone to forget the sweeps and head for the rooftops before we lose anymore men. Get them to regroup in thirty-man units at the designated positions and await my orders. Relay a message to all others divisions to prepare for attack, and get a hold of General Hatake. I wish to speak with him personally."

"Hai!"

'_How the hell could they set so many traps without any of our sensors picking them up?' _Shikamaru pondered hastily on the thought as he tried to assess twenty different tactics simultaneously. A quick glance over to their sensor in the group left him dumbfounded. The guy was just as perplexed as he was.

"Commander, General Hatake is connected." The communications officer interrupted as he held out a headset in his palm.

Without a seconds thought, the connection was established. "General, no sign of any enemy combatants as of yet, but it is only a matter of moments. Multiple explosives have been set off during our sweep, and our...our casualty list is growing." As much as he tried to block it out, the image stuck in his head.

"_Understood. How far have you advanced?"_

"My unit is scattered across the city in a defensive pattern, with two divisions holding steady on the outskirts. All other divisions have held their positions until our sweep. We're stationed roughly five clicks from the nearest entry point, over."

"_We'll give it five minutes before advancing."_

"Commander! Contact at 12 O'clock high." The shout came from the unit's sensor-nin. Apparently his abilities hadn't deserted him...Shikamaru's eyes shot to the skyline. The tallest building in the centre of the city housed a rather unsavoury colossus of metal, and on top of it stood a single figure. They were difficult to see through the tirade of water, but the black cloak with red clouds was easier to distinguish than anything else in this world.

"Temari, the retreat signal, hurry!"

"_What's going on?!" _A hurried question came in through his ear, but it was too late. It was only the second time Nara Shikamaru heard those words uttered in his entire life. They struck more fear into him than even 'Uchiha Madara'. He glimpsed the green flare streak into the sky, but he questioned whether it was quick enough for everyone to fall back. He jumped away, yet, he heard those Kami forsaken words plain as day.

"Shinra Tensei!"

His whole world went black.

* * *

"Shikamaru! Can you read me? Damn it, is anyone there?" It did not matter how many times Kakashi howled down the speaker, no one replied. Static was his only answer.

Moments later and the tree canopies they were stationed in began to shake furiously. The blast of wind almost stopped the torrential downpour for a few moments before they finally saw the blast. They were lagging a few kilometres behind the advanced units, but they could still see it all the same.

"That looks like –"

"Yeah, it's the same as three years ago. Pain." Kurenai was cut off by Hyuga Ko. He'd watched silently as same technique ripped through Konoha, incapable of doing anything to stop it.

"Shall I head out and look for survivors?" Sai asked, brush in hand ready to create one of his aerial summons.

"No, they have their mission. We have ours. If we go to help them now, our mission is over, and this war is lost. Let's move out. Stick to the canopy and avoid contact at all costs."

"Hai," the small division replied as they headed out, steering well clear of the destruction ahead.

Part of Kakashi wanted to abandon the mission there and then. They had potentially lost one-fifth of their forces in one attack. But he held back such fears. He had faith in Shikamaru's abilities as a leader, as well as the other captains serving in this assault. If they went down, they'd take every enemy along with them.

Their advance was fast. It took little time to reach the predestined zone in which they would potentially meet any resistance. Unit four was directly beneath them, albeit a good hundred metres below. It was easy to pick out the shouts and screams of battle despite the inability to see below the thick canopy. The enemy had taken the bait. That could only be a good thing in the grand scheme of things.

Kakashi wanted to check up on the status of the teams, but he knew protocol, hell, he wrote half of the current ones. Radio silence was adhered to as they passed overhead, and maintained as they closed in on the objective. By now, the entire army could've been killed, but they could also be pushing back the un-dead army. Allaying fears was just one of those things that a Commander had to do in the heat of battle, and Hatake Kakashi was one of the veterans in this army.

Their advance slowed. The field of their Sensor Nin's grew to maximum capacity. No one would be catching them unawares in this position, only one click from the objective point. Still, there was one thing that was bugging him. Naruto's clone.

He had already ascertained that 'she' was here in order to relay any orders or changes to the seal. Yet, he contemplated her role silently as they moved through the trees. Something bit at him in the back of his mind. This 'Kunoichi' could have been gauged at the level of a Genin with the express purpose of relaying information, or it could be a one man/woman fighting machine. There would be no telling until reaching a combat situation. The fact that 'she' asked for him 'not to get her killed' meant nothing when Naruto was involved. Nigh on seven years Kakashi had been a 'sensei', and he still had tricks up his sleeve.

Abruptly, their small train of soldiers halted as the Hyuga at the head of the pack held up an open palm. "We're here," was all that he said. Kakashi took that as a sign of 'there's still a tonne of abominations guarding the entrance', but he was presently surprised to see that there were only a handful littered in the somewhat distant clearing.

"Two living, two dead, four clones," Ko sounded off as Kakashi knelt beside him.

"The clones could be a problem. Can you see inside?"

"Not far enough to reach the encampment that Hinata-sama noted." Ko sighed as he crouched in the canopy, well out of the field of vision of the guards some three-hundred metres away.

"I'd suggest placing the diversion unit to the east, drawing them away and allowing for you and the infiltration unit to get in undetected." Samui added to the conversation as she curled her fingers around the handle jutting from beneath her cloak.

"Hai, that would be best. Get your unit in position. I want clones, enough that it bumps up your numbers to make it look like we're a unit that cut through the main battle, but don't over exert yourselves. Save your soldier pills for the retreat." Kakashi ordered, watching on as two thirds of their number disappeared from view. Aside from the destruction of Amegakure, all was working within the parameters discussed in the debriefing...with one exception that is.

"Sai-_kun_, come here please?" The sultry voice came from the mysterious woman that had accompanied them from Konoha.

Everyone seemed to have their own thoughts on her, but they had kept them quietly tucked in their heads. After all, she had stuck on the Commanders shoulder for hours, and if he was confident enough to leave her be, who in their right mind would question him? Still, Sai felt uneasy with the almost seductive tone she spoke to him. It was like she was making fun of him, but he couldn't be certain. Yet, he didn't question it, narrowing closer so that he was within touching distance of the Kunoichi and the Commander.

Before he could say anything, the blonde woman had taken his brush and pad from his hands. He tried to complain, but she was too busy scrawling something into the parchment to notice his words. When she was done, she forced it into Kakashi's palm. "This is the amended seal that the reserve division has come up with. We think it has a sixty percent success rate of destroying the bond between the body and the soul, thus ending the technique, but there's also a ten percent outside chance that it will supersede the existing command seal and turn them to your command."

"What about the other thirty percent?" Kakashi asked, already knowing the answer.

"Complete failure," The gender bent Kage-bunshin replied with a smile.

The Commander sighed as he glanced down to the seal in his palm. "Anything else I should know?"

For a moment the woman seemed to sit in a state of contemplative anguish. Even through her shut eyelids, Kakashi and Sai could see her eyes darting behind them, struggling as a hand shot up to her temple. When her eyes suddenly shot open, there was a look that worried them more than anything. Fear. Anger.

"Hurry," she whispered quietly, "Konoha is under –" Before she could finish, the bunshin had vanished under a plume of white smoke.

"Shit, shit. We've got to get back to Konoha!" Sai all but screamed as he came to the conclusion that the others listening to the plea had come to.

"No, the best thing we can do now is get Kabuto. Destroy the master, and the puppets will crumble." For once, Kakashi felt like the rules were meaningless. Without waiting for visual confirmation of Samui's unit, he reached for his radio. "Samui, complications have arisen, redeploy for contingency three, over."

"_Hai, Commander."_

A few moments later and he heard explosions. A few moments after that and an assortment of troops had rushed through the opening to the underground facility. Two dozen Zetsu clones backed up by a half-dozen Ame shinobi followed the initial guard unit into battle. Samui's unit had cut in half once again, but there were still more than enough of them to take out the enemy combatants rushing towards them, or so Kakashi hoped.

Their path was clear. The entrance was unguarded. "Well, let's do this."

* * *

**End Note: **Okay, well, there you go. If you enjoyed, excellent. If not, sorry, I'm just not a very good writer. Also if the writing quality deteriorates about 1/2 way through the chapter, but Fanfiction appears to have some form of bug. I tried to edit this chapter 5 times and it froze all five times. I eventually gave up, hence the shitness.

Chapters 7 and 8 are essentially one big 20,000+ word chapter, so this seemed like the right place to split it. Chapter 8 could be done in 2 weeks or 2 months, I can't guarantee anything and I have no money, therefore need to look for a job, meaning my writing time is all over the place.

Reviews are always welcome. Also, check out my two Xovers: 'Darth Avarus: the Protector', and 'Life beyond the Land of Whirlpools'.

Ciao.


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